nivithiya

The perennial succulent glabrous twining herb with white or red branches; leaves simple, alternate, broadly ovate, acute or acuminate, cordate at base, thick lamina narrowed into petiole; flowers white or red in spikes, bracteoles longer than perianth; fruits red, white or black, globose, utricle enclosed in the perianth.
Propagation: By seeds and stem cuttings.
Parts Used: Stems, leaves.
Chemical Constituents: Iodine, fluorine, carotenoids, organic acids, vitamin-K.
Uses: The stems and leaves are sweet, cooling, emollient, aphrodisiac, laxative, haemostatic, appetizer, sedative, diuretic, demulcent, maturate and tonic. They are useful in vitiated conditions of pitta, burning sensation, constipation, flatulence, anorexia, haemorrhages, haemoptysis, sleeplessness, pruntus. leprosy, urticaria, ulcers, dysentery, gonorrhoea, balanitis, strangury, fatigue and general debility. They are especially useful as a laxative in children and pregnant women

Sudu hadun

Sandalwood, Indian sandalwood, E
Suduhadun S
Chandanam T
Sandalwood is an evergreen tree, growing up to 4-9 m tall. The trees have a long life, and may live up to one hundred years of age. The plant parasitises the roots of other tree species, but without major detriment to its hosts. medicine, sandalwood oil is considered an excellent sedating agent.

ranawara

Vernacular Name: Sinhala: Ranawara; Eng: Tanner�s cassia,Tam: Avarai, Avirai,




Propagation: By seeds.
Parts Used: Roots, bark, leaves, flowers, seeds.
Chemical Constituents: Emodin, chiysophanol, rubiadin.
Uses: The roots are astringent, cooling, alterative. depruative and alexeteric, and are useful in skin diseases, leprosy, tumours, asthma and urethrorrhoea. The bark is astringent and alternative, and a decoction of this is used as enemas and gargles. The leaves are depurative and anthelmintic, and are recommended for leprosy, skin diseases and ulcers. The flowers are used in diabetes, urethrorrhoea, nocturnal emissions and pharyngopathy. The seeds are astringent. Sour, cooling, constipating, depurative, aphrodisiac, anthehnintic, tinea stomachic and alexeteric, and are useful in diabetes, chyluria, ophthalmia, dysentery, sided diarrhoea, swellings, abdominal disorders, leprosy, skin diseases, worm infestations and
chronic purulent conjunctivitis.

polpala

Polpala. The original Latin name is Неrba Aervae lanatae. This herb is mainly used as a raw material for medicines. The herb consists of flavonoids, phenol acids and alkaloids. Herba Aervae lanatae is considered to be diuretic and antiseptic. The herb also contains much potassium nitrate, so it helps save potassium in organism. Polpala is to be taken for pyelonephritis, cystitis, urolithiasis, for salt metabolism disorders (gout, spondylosis). Moreover this herb can be used for non-specific kidney and urinary tracts inflammations.

Attention! Before using any herbal products, make sure that you have full knowledge of how the herb works and any adverse reaction it may cause.

delum

Delum Sri Lanka
Pomegranate (Delum / Maadhulam)

The pomegranate Punica granatum L. belongs to the family Punicaceae. It is cultivated in home gardens in Sri Lanka specially as a medicinal plant and as a fruit tree. There is no other fruit crop that has high medicinal value compared to that in pomegranate.

Health Benefits
The pomegranate fruit is rich in beneficial antioxidants, like polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins. The antioxidant level in pomegranate juice is higher than in other fruit juices, red wine or green tea
Recent research has shown that pomegranates can help fight osteoarthritis, as regular consumption of the juice slows down the deterioration of the cartilage
Pomegranate juice is also believed to increase blood flow to the heart, and is extremely beneficial for people with ischemic heart disease
It is also a good source of vitamins C and B, antioxidant polyphenols, pantothenic acid and potassium
The juice of the fruit is an effective remedy to reduce heart disease risk factor, including LDL Oxidation, macrophage oxidative status, and foam cell formation
Juice of the pomegranate has been found effective in reducing heart disease risk factors, including LDL oxidation, macrophage oxidative status, and foam cell formation, all of which are steps in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease
The juice of the fruit also has antiviral and antibacterial effects against dental plaque
Consumption of pomegranate juice has proven to help immensely in cases of prostate cancer or prostatic hyperplasia, diabetes or lymphoma
Pomegranate juice has also shown to reduce systolic blood pressure by inhibiting serum angiotensin-converting enzyme

Nutritive Values (per 100g edible portion)
Energy 63-78 k cal

Major Growing Areas in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka most suitable districts for cultivation are Hambantota, Puttalum, Manar, Anuradapura, Jaffna, Monaragala.

tel edaru

Caster been (Edaru)

The seeds from the castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, are poisonous to people, animals and insects. One of the main toxic proteins is "ricin", named by Stillmark in 1888 when he tested the beans' extract on red blood cells and saw them agglutinate. Now we know that the agglutination was due to another toxin that was also present, called RCA (Ricinus communis agglutinin). Ricin is a potent cytotoxin but a weak hemagglutinin, whereas RCA is a weak cytotoxin and a powerful hemagglutinin.
Poisoning by ingestion of the castor bean is due to ricin, not RCA, because RCA does not penetrate the intestinal wall, and does not affect red blood cells unless given intravenously. If RCA is injected into the blood, it will cause the red blood cells to agglutinate and burst by hemolysis.
Perhaps just one milligram of ricin can kill an adult.
The symptoms of human poisoning begin within a few hours of ingestion.
The symptoms are:
abdominal pain
vomiting
diarrhea, sometimes bloody.
Within several days there is:
severe dehydration,
a decrease in urine,
and a decrease in blood pressure.
If death has not occurred in 3-5 days, the victim usually recovers. It is advisable to keep children away from the castor bean plant or necklaces made with its seeds. In fact donít even have them in or around a house with small children. If they ingest the leaves or swallow the seeds, they may get poisoned. The highly toxic seeds beaded into necklaces, cause skin irritation at the contact point.
If the seed is swallowed without chewing, and there is no damage to the seed coat, it will most likely pass harmlessly through the digestive tract. However, if it is chewed or broken and then swallowed, the ricin toxin will be absorbed by the intestines.
It is said that just one seed can kill a child. Children are more sensitive than adults to fluid loss due to vomiting and diarrhea, and can quickly become severely dehydrated and die.
Castor bean plants in a garden should not be allowed to flower and seed.

komarika

Description: - A course perennial with short stem and shallow root system.
- Leaves fleshly in rosettes sessile often crowded with horny prickles on the margins convex below 45-60 cm long tapering to a blunt point. Surface pale green with irregular white blotches.
- Flowers yellow or orange in racemes.
- Fruits loculicidal capsule.
- Fresh leaves and leaf juice is used.
Propagation: By suckers.
Uses :-The juice is used in dyspepsia, amenorrhea, burns, colic, hyperadenosis, hepatopathy, splenopathy, skin diseases, constipation, span menorrhea, vitiated conditions of vata, abdominal tumours, dropsy, carbuncles, sciatica, lambego and flatulence.
- Also used for helminthiasis in children.
- Used for local application in painful inflammation chronic ulcers and catarrhal and purulent ophthalmic