Photo: Winters, Harold F; Agricultural Experiment Station / Wikimedia Commons, No restrictions
Manakand मानकंद
Alocasia indica
Also known as: Manakand Swarasa
Part used: Rhizome
| Rasa (taste) | Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent) |
|---|---|
| Guna (qualities) | Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry) |
| Virya (potency) | Ushna (Hot) |
| Vipaka | Katu (Pungent) |
| Dosha | Balances Kapha & Vata |
| Prabhava | Classical systemic action |
Key takeaways
- Botanical name: Alocasia indica
- Part used: Rhizome
- Dosha action: Balances Kapha & Vata
- Typical dose: Fresh juice 10–20 ml, or as quantity sufficient for Bhavana in manufacture.
Manakand in other languages
Introduction
Manakand (Alocasia indica) is the giant taro, an aroid with enormous arrow-shaped leaves grown in damp ground across eastern India. Its rhizome is the drug and its fresh juice — Swarasa — is the form specified here.
Ayurveda uses it as a Shothahara and Deepana drug for swelling, enlarged spleen and sluggish digestion. Like most aroids it is acrid raw and must be processed.
Classification
Family Araceae. The rhizome and its fresh juice are officinal. Rasa: Katu, Kashaya. Guna: Laghu, Ruksha, Tikshna. Virya: Ushna. Vipaka: Katu. Doshaghnata: pacifies Kapha and Vata.
Uses & benefits
Given in oedema and abdominal swelling, in enlarged liver and spleen, and in piles and worm infestation. The fresh juice is used as a Bhavana liquid in mineral preparations. In this catalogue it appears in Shothari Mandoor, whose very name means the destroyer of swelling.
Manakand for swelling
The classical Shothahara indication, used where fluid accumulates with sluggish digestion and an enlarged spleen.
Manakand juice in manufacture
The fresh Swarasa serves as a levigation liquid for iron preparations such as Shothari Mandoor — a processing role as much as a therapeutic one.
Dosage — how much to take
Fresh juice 10–20 ml, or as quantity sufficient for Bhavana in manufacture. Dried rhizome powder 1–3 g within a compound.
Dosage varies with age, constitution and condition — confirm with a qualified Vaidya.
Traditional uses — questions answered from the classical texts
Answers are drawn from the citations and properties recorded for this drug. No chapter-and-verse reference appears that the record does not carry.
Which classical texts describe Manakand?
The citations held for Manakand in this catalogue are: Bhavaprakasha Nighantu (Shaka Varga — Mankanda).
What does the Bhavaprakasha Nighantu record about Manakand?
Katu-kashaya rasa, ushna virya; shothahara and deepana. Reference: Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Shaka Varga — Mankanda.
What is Manakand traditionally used for in Ayurveda?
Given in oedema and abdominal swelling, in enlarged liver and spleen, and in piles and worm infestation. The fresh juice is used as a Bhavana liquid in mineral preparations. In this catalogue it appears in Shothari Mandoor, whose very name means the destroyer of swelling.
What are the Ayurvedic properties of Manakand?
Rasa Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent), Guna Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Virya Ushna (Hot), Vipaka Katu (Pungent). Dosha action: Balances Kapha & Vata. Prabhava: Classical systemic action.
Why is Manakand classified the way it is?
In dravya-guna a drug's dosha action follows from its taste, qualities, potency and post-digestive effect. Manakand carries Ushna (Hot) virya and Katu (Pungent) vipaka, which together give the recorded action: Balances Kapha & Vata.
Which part of Manakand is used medicinally?
The part used is Rhizome.
How much Manakand is taken, and how?
Fresh juice 10–20 ml, or as quantity sufficient for Bhavana in manufacture. Dried rhizome powder 1–3 g within a compound. Dosage varies with age, constitution and condition — confirm it with a qualified Vaidya.
When should Manakand be avoided?
Raw aroid tissue contains calcium oxalate crystals that cause intense burning and swelling of the mouth and throat — the rhizome must be properly processed or cooked before any use. Aggravates Pitta. Not for self-medication with raw material, and not advised in pregnancy.
Where does Manakand grow?
Grown and naturalised in damp ground across eastern and southern India, particularly West Bengal, Assam and Kerala.
Classical references
- Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Shaka Varga — Mankanda
Katu-kashaya rasa, ushna virya; shothahara and deepana. - Rasa Shastra texts — Bhavana dravya
Fresh juice used to levigate iron preparations.
Safety & precautions
Raw aroid tissue contains calcium oxalate crystals that cause intense burning and swelling of the mouth and throat — the rhizome must be properly processed or cooked before any use. Aggravates Pitta. Not for self-medication with raw material, and not advised in pregnancy.
Where it grows
Grown and naturalised in damp ground across eastern and southern India, particularly West Bengal, Assam and Kerala.
Frequently asked questions
Why must it be processed?
Raw aroid tissue contains needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth and throat. Cooking or classical processing destroys them.
What is Swarasa?
The fresh expressed juice of a plant. Here it is used both as a medicine and as the liquid in which the iron preparation is ground during manufacture.
