Bargad / Vata or Banyan, referred as a national tree is a large evergreen tree revered across the Indian subcontinent, particularly amongst the Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists, as the Tree of Life and has been revered since the beginning of civilization and has a wide range of medicinal properties in addition to its religious significance.
An excerpt from Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita when Lord Krishna also cited its significance
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
उर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्र्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् |
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् || १ ||
Translation: “There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.”
Significance: In the verse, Lord Krishna talks about the material world and how a living entity gets entangled in the material world, the spiritual world which is the actual source of the material world and the need for developing detachment. The Analogy of a Banyan tree is used to show how the material world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world..
Its Scientific Significance
Despite being used for thousands of years as an ornamental plant, it has been used in traditional medicines too. Scientifically, banyan trees contain flavonol, quercetin-3-galactoside, β sitosterol and rutin which are used as anticancer, antiviral, antidiabetic, and against malaria, as well as cardio-protective, hepato-protective, and neuroprotective effects which makes it as an essential ingredient for the pharmaceutical industry.
Banyan Tree and Ayurveda
Ayurveda details it as a storehouse of medicinal values that works powerfully on Kapha and Pitta doshas imbalances and hence can be used for holistic wellbeing. Bark, fruits, and aerial roots of FB are used for curing diabetes. Leuco Pelargonin are flavonoids which are used as worthy hypoglycemic agents and as antioxidants. The bark of FB antipyretic, antiseptic, and vermicide activity, decoction of the bark is used to cure different skin disorders and ulcers. It is used as a plaster in the inflammatory swellings. It is effective in the curing of asthma, piles, dysentery, gonorrhoea, hemoptysis and also in urinary disorders. The tree carried some significant medicinal properties and formed the core of ancient Indian medicine. Specially, different parts of the tree have been found to possess medicinal properties like leaves are good for ulcers. Aerial roots are useful in gonorrhoea, seed and fruit are cooling, tonic and astringent and are also used in diarrhoea, dysentery and diabetes. The bark of the plant is used in ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of diabetes.
With the emerging worldwide interest in adopting and studying traditional systems and exploiting their potential based on different health care systems, the evaluation of the rich heritage of traditional medicine is essential. Ficus bengalensis L. is one of the most important plants of traditional medicines and is still in use, to treat various diseases, particularly diabetes, reproductive system disorders, inflammatory conditions, and swellings. Because of its importance in traditional medicines, its quality control factors are established by pharmacogenetic studies and various phytochemicals have also been isolated and recognized.
On the closing note, banyan tree aka kalpavriksha, a tree with ever expanding branches and so its medicinal benefits making it a tree of life and "wish-fulfilling tree".
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