Botanical Name

Vitis vinifera L.

Family

Vitaceae.

Synonyms

Cissus vinifera (L.) Kuntze, Vitis sylvestris C.C.Gmel., Vitis vinifera subsp. sativa Hegi, Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris (C.C.Gmel.) Hegi.

Regional Name

English : Dry Grapes, Hindi : Angoor, Munkka, Sanskrit : Mrdvika, Gostani, Gujrati : Drakh, Darakh,  Punjabi : Munaca , Urdu : Munaqqa, Assam : Dakh, Munaqqa, Bengali : Maneka, Kannada : Draksha, Malayalam : Munthringya, Marathi : Draksha, Angur, Oriya :Drakya,  Gostoni, Tamil : Drakshai, Kottai Drakshai, Telugu : Draksha Kottai, Drakshai.

Part Used

Dried Fruit.

Description

Lal Draksh is distributed in the temperate and sub-tropical regions, chiefly of the northern hemisphere. Within India, it is mostly cultivated in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. It is high climbing vine, with stems up to 35m long in the wild but usually cultivated at around 1–3m.The grapes may be green red in colur.

Phytoconstituents

Lal Draksh is contains Carbohydrates and Tannins, Malic, Tartaric & Oxalic Acids. It contains vitamin C as well as also flavonoids, bioflavonoids - proanthocyanidins (PCOs), bioflavonoids is 20 to 50 times greater than Beta-Carotene or Vitamins C and E. It also contains polyphenols and resveratrol.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa : Madhura, Guna : Sara, Guru, Vipaka : Madhura, Virya : Seta.

Ayurvedic Applications

Jvara, Svasa, Trsna, Kasa, Kamala, Raktapitta, Agnimandya.

Medicinal Uses

Lal Draksh is used in Heart Disease, retinopathy, haemorrhoids, cancer chemotherapy, Endometriosis, Skin diseases such as psoriasis and eczema, sneezing, cough, bronchitis, congestion and other hallmarks of an allergic reaction.