Botanical Name
Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Nees & Eberm.
Family
Lauraceae.
Synonyms
Camphora camphora (L.) H.Karst.,Camphora hahnemannii Lukman., Camphora hippocratei Lukman., Camphora officinarum Nees,Cinnamomum officinarum Nees ex Steud., Laurus camphora L., Persea camphora (L.) Spreng.
Regional Name
English : Camphor, Hindi : Kapur, Urdu :Riyaahi Kapphur, Kaaphoraa, Assamese : Karpura, Bengali : Karpur, Gujrati : Kapur, Kannada : Karpur, Malayalam : Karpuram, Chutakkapuram, Marathi : Kaapur, Oriya : Karpur, Punjabi : Kapura, Tamil : Karpuram, Telugu : Karpram, Karpuraamu.
Part Used
Heart wood.
Description
Karpura is commonly known as camphor tree, is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 20–30 m (66–98 ft) tall. The leaves have a glossy, waxy appearance and smell of camphor when crushed. In spring, it produces bright green foliage with masses of small white flowers. Its pale bark is very rough and fissured vertically. It is obtained from the leaves, chipped wood and roots by hydrodistillation process. Camphor is a colorless or white crystal, granules or crystalline masses; odour, penetrating and characteristic; taste, pungent, aromatic, and followed by a sensation of cold. Readily pulverisable in the presence of a little alcohol (95 percent), chloroform, or solvent ether.
Phytoconstituents
The six different chemical variants called chemotypes, which are camphor, Linalool, 1,8-cineole, nerolidol, safrole, and borneol are obtain from the karpura. The main constituents of karpura leaves essential oil were -camphor (40.54%), linalool (22.92%), cineole (11.26%), and 3,7,11-trimethyl-3-hydroxy-6,10-dodecadien-1-yl acetate (4.50%).
Ayurvedic Properties
Rasa : Tikta, Katu, Madhura, Guna : Laghu, Tiksna, Snigdha, Virya : Sita, Vipaka : Katu, Karma : Caksusya, Durgandhanasaka, Hrdya, Lekhana, Madakaraka, Medya, Pacana,Tridosahara, Vedanasthapana, Vrsya.
Ayurvedic Applications
Adhmana, Agnimandya, Amavata, Aruci, Atisara, Daha, Dantapaya, Dantasula, Jirnapratisyaya, Kandu, Kantharoga, Kasa, Klaibya, Krmi, Kustha, Medoroga, Parsvasula, Sandhisula, Svasa, Trsna, Tvakroga, Vicarcika, Visavikara, Visucika, Vrkkaroga.
Medicinal Uses
It is used in Flatulence with a gurgling sound, Digestive impairment, Rheumatism, Tastelessness, Diarrhoea, Burning sensation, Pyorrhoea, Toothache, Chronic sinusitis, Itching. It is used in Disease of the throat, Cough, Worm infestation, skin Diseases, Obesity, Intercoastal neuralgia and pleurodynia, Joint pain, Dyspnoea/Asthma, Thirst, Skin diseases, Eczema, Disorders due to poison, Renal disorder.