Paribhadra / Indian Coral Tree (Erythrina Variegata)

Ayurveda is a medical system that provides patients with comprehensive recommendations based on their individual health. Maintaining good health and encouraging long life are the primary objectives of Ayurveda. The Rishis and Muniis of old claim that this is the oldest and most potent technique for revitalizing the body.

Lord Dhanwantri is the source of Ayurveda; they assist our sages in learning about Ayurveda and wish to disseminate this healing remedy to everyone. With its botanical ingredients, this is utilized to nourish and revitalize the body as a whole. The Vedas are familiar with this method, which dates back many years.

Ayurveda believes in restoring the balance of the human body-mind-soul via the use of natural herbs & therapies that solely use herbal formulations. All that nature produces is beneficial to living beings. Every living being has the ability to rejuvenate the body & improve the healing power of the organs, as well as aid in the reach of the ideal level of self-realization.

According to Ayurveda, our body has three doshas that help to manage the mental, physical, and emotional parts of the body. Ayurvedic herbs are always utilized in their active form, such as powder, pills, syrups, and so on. Ayurvedic medications assist us in achieving a healthy lifestyle based on the Prakriti of the individual.

In this article, we will cover a very significant plant called Paribhadra, which is employed in a variety of ailments, particularly those arising from the Vata and Kapha doshas.

General Information:

Erythrina Variegata is the botanical name for paribhadra, an herb also known by its common name, Indian Coral Tree, in English. Both in the past and in the present, Ayurvedic Acharyas frequently used this herb. This herb is called by many names depending on where it is found.

For example, in Sanskrit, it is commonly known as paribhadra, kantaki palash, or rakta pushpa. It is referred to as Farhad in Hindi, Paltemadar in Bengal, Pangara in Malayalam, Pararu in Gujarati, and Kaliyaan in Tamil Nadu. Worm infestations, digestive issues, liver metabolism, and abnormal cholesterol levels are all treated with this herb.

This plant is fairly prevalent in India because it can be found in all states. Its blossoms have a variety of therapeutic benefits and are known for their relaxing properties. This shrub blooms in the spring and produces fruits in the summer.

Special Note About Paribhadra: 

• This plant's bark contains raal, aerisotrin, hypaphorine, erisonin, erisodin, and various essential oils. Erithroline, erisodin, and erisotrin are found in its leaves. Eleven to thirteen percent of the seeds contain essential oils.
• Kaiyyadev Nighantu mentions this herb as being in aushadhi Varga. He also says that this herb should not be given for gum or tooth ailments and that using it as a dant kashtha is prohibited. It is not recommended to use this tree's twig as a toothbrush.
• This herb was also noticed by Bhavprakash Nighantu, who mentioned it in Guduchyadi Varga.
• This herb is mentioned in Raj Nighantu's Shalmalyadi Varga, where he demonstrates how it may be used medicinally to treat a variety of ailments.
• Kupilu visha has an antidote in this herb.
• This herb is classified as a remedy that is particularly useful in ear diseases in Acharya Priyavrat Sharma's Dravya Gunna textbook.

Systemic Classification:

• Botanical Name - Erythrina Variegata.
• Family - Fabaceae or Papilionaceae
• Genus - Erythrina
• Species - E. Variegata

Synonyms:

• Paribhadra, Prabhadra - This plant is applied to auspicious places.
• Nimbadruma, parijata, rakta pushpa, mandaraka, rakt kesar - These plant have red flowers.
• Bahupushpa - This tree is covered in flowers.
• Kantaki palash, kantaki kimshuka - has a thorny similarity to the Palash tree.
• Krumighana - Helpful for infestations of worms

Habitat:

• The tree is dense-looking and can reach a height of 60 feet, growing oblong to the rounded crown.
• Terminals and axillaries host the inflorescence of many-flowered fascicles, which have a deeply divided calyx of 0.4–0.7 inches and a pedicle ranging in length from 2 to 5 mm. Flowers have short claves, are reddish-orange in color, and have longitudinal white threads. Their wings appear to be either green or pale crimson. This tree's flowers bloom from July to November, and they then emerge in the northern hemisphere for roughly six months after that. Within the Erythrina species, there are two types of plants: white-colored flower-bearing trees that offer many health benefits and red-colored flower-bearing trees that are widely distributed in the Indian region.
• The leaves are trifoliate and alternate, the rachis is generally 10-20 cm long, oval and rhomboid in shape, and it is deciduous.
• Its fruits grow in an oblong pod and appear in the months of March and April. They grow and stay on the tree for a longer amount of time.
• The seeds are kidney-shaped and come in 12 varieties: oval, unctuous red, and brown in color.

Ayurvedic Properties:

Effects On Doshas:

Because of its tikta and ushna gunna, it pacifies the Vata and Kapha doshas, balancing them.

Practical Uses:

• This plant helps with illnesses associated with Kapha and Vata.
• When used topically in the form of a paste, it has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial qualities as well as quick healing capabilities, specifically targeting the ear.
• This is anti-epileptic, helps induce sleep, and acts as a head-ache reliever because of its vata-pacifying activity.
• Owing to its tikta and ushna gunna, it functions as a digestive fire booster, an appetiser, a remedy for vata anulomana, and a defense against worm infestations in the digestive tract.
• This aids in boosting bile juice and other active chemical secretion, which starts the digestive process right away.
• This promotes healthy circulation and blood coagulation.
• It prevents urine retention due to the presence of ushna gunna.
• This is also beneficial in removing excess fat from the body.

Part used:

Bark and leaves

Dosage:

• 50 to 100 ml of bark decoction should be consumed.
• 5 to 10 ml of the leaf juice can be consumed.