PUNARNAVA: An Ancient Wisdom for Rejuvenation and Healing

 

Plants have been used to cure various health problems worldwide since time immemorial. The ethnic communities are the repositories of information on the therapeutic applications of plants and their products. Punarnava, botanically known as Boerhavia diffusa (Family: Nyctaginaceae), is one of the most important medicinal plants in India. It finds extensive use in Ayurveda, Unani, Sowa Rigpa and Folk medicine. It is widely distributed in the countries of the Southern hemisphere. In India, it occurs throughout the country except for high-altitude ranges in the Himalayas.

 

NAMES IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

English: Red hogweed, Wineflower, Tar Vine, Spreading hogweed, Red spiderling, Horse purslane, Pigweed Hindi: Punarnava, Satha, Biskhapara,  Shothagni Sanskrit: Punarnava, Shothagni, Varshabhu Assamese: Pananua Bengali: Punarnova, Gadapushpa Gujarati: Satodi, Vasedo Kannada: Adakaputta, Adakaputtana gida, Komme, Gonajaali, Sanaadikaa, Balavadike, Belavadaka, Shavaata, Shivaata, Shivaatike, Nadumurukana balli Malayalam: Talutama, Tavilama Marathi: Khapara, Khapari, Ghetoli, Ghetula, Punarnava, Vasu Pahari: Itsit, Utchhat Punjabi: Itsit Tamil: Mukkurttaikkoti, Sukuaetti Telugu: Atakamamidi Urdu: Tukhm-i-ispast Source: Names of Plants in India

 

MORPHOLOGY

Punarnava is a perennial, much-branched, creeping herb with fusiform roots. Stem is purplish and somewhat thickened at nodes. Leaves are opposite, ovate, suborbicular or rounded with entire and wavy margins. They are slightly pinkish in colour. Flowers are arranged in small umbels forming corymbose, axillary and terminal panicles.

Flowers are pinkish in colour with a perianth-tube constricted above the ovary. Stamens are 2-3, slightly exserted and unequal. The ovary is superior, having one ovule. Stigma is peltate and the fruit is a  6-ribbed, rounded achene.

 

PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS

More than 64 phytochemicals have been isolated from Punarnava. Some of the major phytoconstituents present in Punarnava are Phenolic glycoside (Punarnavoside), C-Methyl flavone (Borhaavone), Isoflavone (2′-O-Methyl abronisoflavone), Flavonol         (Quercetin, kaempferol), Flavonoid glycoside, Phenolic acid (trans-caftaric acid), Rotenoids (Boeravinones A-S), Xanthone (Boerhavine),      Lignans, Purine nucleoside (Hypoxanthine-9-L-arabinofuranoside), Sterol (Boerhavisterol), Sterol ester   (Boeravilanostenyl benzoate) and Ecdysteroid (β-Ecdysone).

MEDICINAL USES

Punarnava is used for curing many diseases in Indian and other systems of medicine. Some of the important medicinal uses are discussed below:

 1. REJUVENATION OF THE BODY

Punarnava has multiple health benefits for human beings. Its Ayurvedic name, Punarnava (punar- again + nava- new) itself translates into “rejuvenator or the one that renews the body”. It is useful for the liver, kidney and heart, the most important trio in our body.

 2. GOOD FOR URINARY PROBLEMS

Punarnava is considered useful in curing many problems of the urinary system, including dysuria, urinary obstruction, calculi and urinary tract infection (UTI).

3. HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY

Punarnava is used widely for curing jaundice and other liver ailments in many traditional systems of medicine. Recent experimental studies have also proved Punarnava effective in restoring the normal liver function enzyme markers in the blood serum. 

4. ANTICANCER ACTIVITY

Experimental studies have shown that alkaloid Punarnavine present in Punarnava can suppress metastasis in inoculated tumours in lab animals.

 5. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY

Leaf decoction of Punarnava is used in folk medicine for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Its vernacular name, sothaghni, itself correlates to that which alleviates inflammation. The anti-inflammatory activity of Punarnava can be attributed to the presence of liriodendrin, quercetin, and kaempferol present in this plant.

 6 . SPASMOLYTIC ACTIVITY

Punarnava contains many phytochemicals, including rotenoids. Rotenoid derivatives have spasmolytic activity, which has been experimentally proved by many researchers.

 7. ANTIASTHMATIC ACTIVITY

Leaves of Punarnava are used for the treatment of asthma in some countries.

8. ANTICONVULSANT ACTIVITY

Roots of Punarnava are used for the treatment of epilepsy and seizures in folk medicine, which has also been proven experimentally.

 9. ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY

Antibacterial activity of Punarnava root extract has been reported by many researchers against Streptococcus group, E. coli, Bacillus subtilis , Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae,  Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Clostridium tetani.

10. ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY

Roots of Punarnava possess a potent antifungal activity against  Microsporum gypseum, M. fulvum and M. canis.

 11. ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

Many phytochemicals show antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity. Experimental studies have proved that Punarnava plants possess considerable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and free radical scavenging activity.

Photograph source: Sire Ayurveda

AYURVEDIC PREPARATIONS

Punarnava is an integral part of many Ayurvedic and Siddha preparations such as Punarnavarishta, Punarnava guggulu, Punarnavasava, Punarnavadi kvatha churna, Punarnavastaka kvatha, Sukumara ghrita, Maha Narayan taila, Sothaghna lepa, Varuni, Talakacenturam, etc.

Photograph source: Baidyanath Ayurved

TOXICITY

Punarnava is a widely used for centuries in Ayurveda. Some toxicity studies, such as those by Orisakwe et al. (2003), have reported acute and sub-chronic toxicity of punarnava leaves at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg of body weight in albino mice and rats. They reported the lethal dose (LD₅₀) at more than 2,000 mg/kg of body weight.