Vegetable and Human Health

8/7/2019 Vegetable and Human Health

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Gyanalok Das*, Dillip.K. Dora** & P.J. Mishra*

*KVK, Nayagarh, ** Dept. Of Horticulture, OUAT


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ABSTRACT

Human since evolution met all his needs from nature for survival; he used his

intuitions and by trial and error accumulated knowledge of the flora and fauna around

him. This urge for survival also gave him the power to look beyond the ordinary and go

into the intrinsic of things. In this regard the uses of vegetables as cure for his ailments

rather than their role in human nutrition has been taken up as a review.

In this article an honest attempt has been made to bring to light the important usage

of common vegetables as medicine particularly in the traditional system of medicine

pertaining to Ayurveda and Siddha.


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Bulb crops

Onion (Allium cepa L.) used in flatulence and

dysentery, is a heart stimulant, increases coronary

flow and frequency of systolic pressure, promotes

bile production and reduces blood sugar, promotessmooth musculature and uterus.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Juice is used to cure

earache, fever, coughs, flatulence, jaundice and also

useful for treating skin diseases.


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Cole Crops

Cabbage/Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var

capitata / botrytis) Used to treat gout,

rheumatism and also abdominal disorders, skindiseases, fevers, warts.

Brocolli (Brassica oleracea L.Var - italica) Is

an effective antioxidant, anticoagulant and is

also used as carcinogen metabolic modulator-used for treating bowel cancer.


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Cucurbits Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) Extracts are

used to cure rheumatism and disorders of liver andspleen, recommended for curing diabetes and asthma.Kills worms used in piles, leprosy and also jaundice.

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria L.) Useful inconstipation, inflammations, leaves used in bronchitis,asthma, fever, skin diseases, baldness, seeds are braintonic.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Used in for curing

general debility, constipation, renal calculus, fruits aresweet and cooling and used as tonic.

Spine gourd (Momordica dioca L.) Cures skindiseases, bronchitis, diabetes, piles, urinarycomplaints, snake and scorpion bite.


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Leafy vegetables

Amaranthus (Amaranthus sp.L) Used for purifying

blood , curing eczema, used as laxative, nausea, in

scorpion sting and snake bite.

Chenopodium (Chenopodium sp. L) The plant issweet, digestive, laxative, peptic ulcer, seminal

weakness, cardiac disorders and general debility.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracia L.) The stems are leaves

are sweet, cooling, aphrodisiac, laxative, appetizer,sedative and tonic. This is specially used as laxative

for pregnant women and children.


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Legumes

Cluster bean (Cymopsis tetragonolba L.) Usedas laxative, digestive, appetizer, tonic,constipation, biliousness and night blindness.

Dolichos (Dolichos sp.L) Used in menstrualdisorders, piles, constipation, aphrodisiac,opthalmia and skin diseases.

P

eas (P

isum sativum L.) Sweet, acrid, cooling,laxative, measles, skin diseases, cuts andwounds.


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Malvaceous

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) Abdominal

disorders, mucilaginous, aphrodisiac,

constipating and tonic, used in catarrhalaffections.


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Root vegetables

Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Leaves applied toburns and bruises. Swollen roots are sweet,expectorant and tonic and are useful in

psycopathy, cough inflammations and generaldebility.

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) Useful for diseasesof kidney and dropsy, given in uterine pain,appetizer, digestive, infestations of roundworm, thread worm.


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Solanaceous vegetables

Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) Leaves are

narcotic, used in cholera, bronchitis, seeds

stimulant, roots are laxative, cardiotonic, cardiacdebility and nose ulcers. Unripe fruits excellent for

liver complaints, green leaves rich in antiascorbic vit

C.

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum M.) Fruitssweet, digestive, intestinal antiseptic, liver and

kidney stimulant, asthma,constipation..


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Tropical Tuber Crops

Elephant Foot Yam (Amorphophallus Sp. Roxb.)

Tonic, carminative, in piles and dysentery,

rheumatism. Yams (Dioscorea Sp. L.) - Piles, dysentery,

anthelmintic, leprosy, applied to ulcers, scorpion

sting, snake poison.

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Laxative,refrigerant, aphrodisiac, tonic, general debility.


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Perennial Vegetables

Drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.) Expectorant,digestive, anthelmintic, diarrhea, colic, paralysis,inflammations, cough, asthma, epilepsy, rheumatism,

cardiac and circulatory tonic, fainting, giddiness,hysteria.

Plantain (Musa paradisiaca L.) Tonic, useful in bloodand venereal diseases, diabetes, antiscorbic, hysteria,epilepsy, mouth wash, young leaves for dressing to

burns and blisters. Green Papaya (Carica papaya L.) milky juice of unripe

fruits used as cosmetic to remove freckles andblemishes, anthelmintic, used to quench thirst


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REFERENCES:

Advances in Horticlture (Vol 5-6) Ed. G.L. Kaloo

Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants By R. N. Chopra, S.L. Nayar & I.

C. Copra, NISC &IR (CSIR)

Indian Materia Medica By Kanitkar & Basu (Vol. I IV)

Indian Materia Medica By A. K. Nadakarni

Indian Medicinal Plants By Vaidyaratnam P S Variers Arya VaidyaSala (Vol 1-5)

Pharmacognosy of Indigenous Drugs. (Vol I III) Central Council forResearch in Ayurveda & Siddha

Vegetable Crops Ed. By Bose, Som & Kabir, Nayaprokash Publishers.

Wealth of India C. S. I. R., India.

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Vegetable and Human Health