BHRINGRAJ

     Bhringaraja is known to therapeutics since very early times. Paraskara Grhyasutra, Kesava paddati, Sounakiya atharva, Kousika sutra etc delineate bhringaraja for its cosmetic as well as medicinal value. It is said to be used for switra and palita. It is also used with other drugs like Haridra, Nilika and flowers of Indravaruna. As a hair tonic it is used along with Kakamachi fruit juice externally.

        Though it is not described by brihatrayee in ganas and vargas, it is an important herb in therapeutics. Charak indicated it for raktapitta while vhagbhatta advocated its consumption for one month to have the rasayana effect.

In raja nighantu, the blue variety is claimed to be the best rasayana.

At present its hepatoprotective role is best established and used in hepatitis.

Different varieties          In raja nighantu 3 varieties are mentioned. They are-1. sweatha bhringaraja 2. pita bhringaraja 3. nili bhringaraja

Bapalalji described another variety, raktha bhringaraja which is identified as flaviera rependa.

Dhanvantari nighantu – karaviradi varga

Shodala nighantu- karaviradi varga

Bhavaprakasa nighantu - guduchyadi varga

Raja nighantu- moolakadi varga

Shaligrama nighantu- guduchyadi varga

Adarsa nighantu- sahadevyadi varga

3. Synonyms

Dhanvantari nighantu :

·        Bhringaraja,

·        Bhekaraja

·        Markava

·        Bhrnga

·        Bhrngaraka

·        Rajamesha

·        Bhrngara

·        Kesaranjana

·        Mahaneela

·        Mahabhrnga

·        Kenya

·        Kesaprabhakara

·        Bhrngaraja

·        Markava

·        Bhrnga

·        Angaraka

·        Kesaraja

·        Bhragara

·        Kesaranjana

·        Bhrangava

·        Bhramarachilli

·        Bhramara

·        Pankajatha

·        Bhrangaraja

·        Bhrnghava

·        Kesaranjana

·        Bhrngaraka

·        Bhekaraja

·        Mahaneela

·        Ravipriya

·        Kesaraja

·        Suryavartha

·        Markava

·        Markava

·        Bhringaraja

·        Bhranghava

·        Kesaranjana

·        Pithrupriya

·        Rangaka

·        Keshya

·        Kunthala vardhana

·        Bhrangaraja

·        Kesaraja

·        Kesaranjana

·        Bhrangaraja

·        Bhekaraja

·        Markava

·        Kesaranjaka

·        Angaraka

·        Bhrngiraja

·        Bhrngahva

·        Suryavallabha

Ayurvedokta oushada niruktamala

·        Kesaranjana

·        Kesaraja

·        Bhrngaraja

·        Markava

Hindi- bhangra

Telugu- guntagalagaruku

Tamil- kayanthakara

Marathi- maka

Gujrathi- bhangaro

Punjabi- bhangra

Bengali- kesuriya

Malayalam- jalabhangara

Reference- jln sastry

                         5. Types

In raja nighantu, 3 varieties are mentioned. They are

  1. svwta bhrngaraja

  2. pita bhrngaraja

  3. nili bhrngaraja

In shaligrama nighantu, 2 varieties are mentioned. They are

Name of the book	Rasa	Guna	veerya	vipaka
Dhanvantari nighantu	Tikta	Ruksha	ushna	-
Bhavaprakasa nighantu	Tikta	Tikshna, ruksha	ushna	-
Kaiyadeva nighantu	Katu,tikta	Ruksha	ushna	-
Raja nighantu	Katu,tikta	-	-	-
Nighantu adarsh	Tikta, kashaya	-	ushna	katu
Madanapala nighantu	Katu	Ruksha	ushna	-

Bhavaphanturakasha nighantu- kaphavata syamaka, kesya, twachya, dantya, rasayana, balya, deepana, pachana, vatanulomaka, chakushya, twakdosha hara

Raja nighantu- jataragni deepaka, ruchivardakam, netrahitakara, kesaranjaka, kapha and visha vinashaka

                             8. Indications

Bhavaprakasha nighantu- krimi, kasa, swasa, sodha, ama, pandu, kushta, netraroga, siroroga

Kaiyadeva nighantu- netraroga, siroroga, kasa, krimi, swasa, kusta, sodha, amadosha, panduroga

Madanaphala nighantu- kusta, netraroga, siroroga

9. Therapeutic uses:

Charaka samita

Raktha pitha : A portion prepared of madhuka madhu in the juice of the stool of horse or the one prepared of the root of yavasa and bhringaraja in the juice of stool of cow should be taken along with rice wash ( ch.ci-4/68 )

Cough : Intake of juice of kasamartha, stool of horse, bhrungaraja, vartaka & black variety of surasa along with honey cures kaphaja type of kasa ( ch.ci-18/117 ).

Greying of hair : One kudava of oil should be cooked by adding one prasta of juice of brungaraja and milk and one pala of yastimadhu. Administration of this medicated oil for inhalation therapy cures graying of hair.( ch.ci-26/264 )

In inflammatory swelling caused by nail scratching, juice of brungaraja is useful

     ( su. Ka-8/56)

Oil cooked with 10 times juice of bhrungaraja and used judiciously alleviates dyspnoea and cough ( su.ut-51/30 )

Tagara, kusta and apamarga is anti poisonous formulation for the poisioning by black earth of ant hill pounded with juice of bhrungaraja acts similarly ( su.ka-8/54)

Bhrungaraja, thiphala, utpala, mandura churna and seeds of amra, tilataila, water is mixed and oil is prepared this oil cures darunaka roga

kasa and swara bedha: Bhrungaraja, guduchi, vasa, dasamula, kasamardha juice of these with pippali kalka and ghee is prepared

Medicated oil prepared with one prastha each of milk, juice of sahachara, Bhrungaraja and surasa, one kudava of oil, one pala of yesti and preserved in a vessel of stone is useful for nasal medication ( ah.us-24/37 )

10.                         Those who drink the fresh juice of Bhrungaraja for one month and consume milk as food attain a life of hundred years endowed with strength and vigour ( ah.us-34/163 )

11.                         palitha-iron fillings, powder of Bhrungaraja, triphala and black mud kept soaked in sugar cane juice for 1 month applied to head cures premature graying of hair

12.                        Iron ore, sariva are made into bolus mixed in oil and juice of Bhrungaraja and boiled to oil consistency this oil alleviates dandruff, untimely graying of hair, pruraities and alopecia

13.                        nnimba beeja are macerated with juice of bhringaraja and decoction of wood of asana tree and this paste is put into sesame oil and cooked well. This oil used as nasal drops in premature graying of hair of men who adhere to rice and milk only as diet.

14.                        taila prepared with juice of bhringaraja, lohitakitta and kalka of triphala and sariva will cure dandruff, akala palita[ premature graying of hair], itching and alopecia.

15.                        amla pitta- powder of haritaki and bringaraja mixed with old jaggery controls vomiting caused by burning of food due to amlapitta.

16.                        darunaka- triphala, mamsi, bringaraja, sariva and rock salt with paste of these oil is cooked. An ointment with this destroyes darunaka.

17.                        oil cooked with bringaraja juice and paste of triphala, nilotpala, sariva and slag of iron destroys darunaka and makes the hair curled, dense and firm

18.                        ghee cooked with bringaraja juice with peacock bile destroys by snuffing palita in a week

19.                        varaha damstra- haridra and bringaraja in equal quantity pounded together with cold water destroy visarpa and varaha damstra by using as paste

20.                        eye drops with paste of sunthi, bringaraja, haridra and saindhava heated closely is useful in eye diseases particularly kukunaka

21.                        vrana prakshalana- for paccificatin of upadamsa, wound should be washed with decoction of triphala or juice of bringaraja

22.                        patala- oil mixed with powder of sringaveera[sunthi],bringaraja and madhuyasti should be used as stuff. It destroys patala

23.                        lead heated and dipped 7 times each into decoction of pippali, bringaraja and sunthi, honey, ghee, goats milk and cows urine makes the eyes as that of garuda.[by application of collyrium]

24.                        ghee should be cooked with decoction of bringaraja, guduchi, vasaka,dasamoola and kasamardha along with the paste of pippali. Honey should be added when it is cooled. It alleviates swarabheda and kasa

                10.Important formulations

10.            bringaraja taila

11.            snuhyadya taila

12.            pathyadi churna

13.            bringaraja ghrita

14.            bhrangalakadi taila

15.            bhringamalakadi taila

16.            teka raja churna

17.            bhrangarajasava

18.            bringaraja taila

19.            brinrarajasava

20.            maha triphala ghrita

21.            brihad bringarajyadi tailam

22.            shat bindu taila

23.            triphaladi ghrita

24.            bhrangarajasava

25.            bhrangaraja taila

There seems to be 3 types of bringaraja in the nighantus

white is eclipta alba as its flowers are white. Annual, erect or prostrate, branched often rooting at the nodes. Stem and branches stigrose with appressed white hairs. Leaves sessile 2.5cms- 7.5cms long variable in bredth, usually ablong, lanceolate,base tapering hairs on both sides. Heads 6-8mm diameter solitary or two together on unequal axilary peduncles, involucaral bracts about 8 ovate, obtuse or acute. Ray flowers lingulate spreading, scarsely as long as the bracts, not toothed white disc flowers tubular, the corals often 4 toothed.

      Ecliptal, wedelolactone, des- methyl wedelalactone, stigmasterol, hepatocosanole, hentricontanol, sixteen poly acetylenic thiophenes

ØFresh juice – 5-10ml      [ jln sastry]

ØSwarasa ½-1 tola

ØBeeja 1-3 masha   [bhavaprakasha nighantu]

ØWhole plant

The alcoholic extracto f plant has been reported to have antiviral activity against ranikhet disease virus.[dhar et al 1968]

Alcoholic extract of eclipta alba [50mg/kg/day for 7 days] was studied for its protective effect against toxic hepatic injury in rats. The na+ k+ atpase activity was altered by carbon tetra chloride, paracetmol and aflatoxin induced hepatic injury. The restoration of na+k+ atpase activity to normal suggests the use of the plants against hepatic injury   [mogre et al 1981]

In a pilot study, eclipta alba inactivated HBs ag invitro   [thyagarajan et al 1982]

The carbon tetra chloride induced hepato toxicity in rats was countered by eclipta alba in addition to its inflammatory activity     [Chandra et al 1987]

                             14.Bibliography

Sl no	Name of the book	Author	Published by	place	year
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4.	Raja nighantu	Pandit narahari	Krishnadas academy	Varanasi	1982
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8.	Adarsa nighantu	Bapalal g. vaidya	Chaukamba bharati academy	Varanasi	1985
9.	Madanaphala nighantu	Pandit ramprasad	Kamraj sri krishnadas	Bombay	1990
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