Botanical Name

Ficus benghalensis L.

Family

Moraceae.

Synonyms

Ficus banyana Oken, Ficus benghalensis var. benghalensis, Ficus benghalensis var. krishnae (C.DC.) Corner, Ficus cotoneifolia Vahl, Ficus chauvieri G.Nicholson, Urostigma benghalense (L.) Gasp., Ficus pubescens B. Heyne ex Roth.

Regional Name

English : Banyan tree, Hindi : Badra, Bargad, Bada, Sanskrit : Vata, Urdu : Bargad, Bad, Punjabi : Bhaur, Gujrati : Vad, Vadalo, Assamese : Vat, Ahat, Vatgach, Bengali : Bot, Kannada : Aala, Aladamara, Vata, Kashmiri : Bad, Malayalam : Peraal, Marathi : Vael, Oriya : Bata, Bara, Tamil : Aalamaram, Aalam, Telugu : Marri.

Part Used

Bark & Aerial roots.

Description

Bargad is globally distributed throughout the moist and dry deciduous forest regions and plains of South Asia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Within India, it is found from the sub-Himalayan hills in the north to Peninsular India. Nyagrodha is a large branching semi-deciduous tree with numerous aerial roots occurring all over India. Mature stem bark grey with thin, closely adhered ashy white, light bluish-green or grey patches, bark flat or slightly curve, thickness varies with age of tree : externally rough due to presence of horizontal furrows and lenticels, mostly circular and prominent, fracture short in outer two thirds of bark while inner portion shows a fibrous fracture taste, astringent

Phytoconstituents

It contains Tannins, glycosides and flavonoids. Bark also contains bengalenoside, leucoanthocyanidin, three leucoanthocyanins, delphinidin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (I), pelargonidin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (II) and leucocyanidin-3-O-β-D-galactosylcellobioside (III) phytosterolin, β-sitosterol glycoside, mesoinositol and ketones.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa : Kasaya, Guna : Guru, Ruksa, Vipaka : Katu, Virya : Sita, Karma : Dahaghna, Mutrasangrahaniya, Stambhana, Varnya, Vranapaha, Kaphapittajita, Yonidosahrt.

Ayurvedic Applications

Daha, Prameha, Raktapitta, Trsna, Visarpa, Vrana, Yonidosa.

Medicinal Uses

It is useful in treatment of biliousness, dysentery,  burning sensation, ulcers, wounds, acne, skin disorders, allergy, bleeding disorders, erysipelas, asthma, vomiting, vaginal complains, fever, leprosy, infertility, tonic, vulernary, maturant, lessens, useful in piles, nose-diseases, gonorrhea etc. The aerial root is styptic, useful in syphilis, inflammation of liver etc.