Photo: J.M.Garg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Samudra समुद्र
Barringtonia acutangula
Also known as: Samudra Phal
Part used: Fruit
| 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: Barringtonia acutangula
- Part used: Fruit
- Dosha action: Balances Kapha & Vata
- Typical dose: Fruit powder 500 mg – 2 g per day within a compound, as prescribed.
Samudra in other languages
Introduction
Samudra Phal (Barringtonia acutangula) is the freshwater mangrove or Indian oak, a tree of river banks and flooded ground with hanging red flower spikes. Its fruit is the drug.
Ayurveda uses it as an emetic and Kapha-clearing drug, and it appears in classical preparations for cough, skin disease and in Vajikarana compounds.
Classification
Family Lecythidaceae. The fruit and seed are officinal; bark is used in some preparations. Rasa: Katu, Tikta, Kashaya. Guna: Laghu, Ruksha, Tikshna. Virya: Ushna. Vipaka: Katu. Doshaghnata: pacifies Kapha and Vata.
Uses & benefits
Used as a Vamana drug in classical emesis therapy, and given in cough, skin disease and worm infestation. In this catalogue it appears in Laxmivilas Ras. The seed is also used externally in skin complaints.
Samudra Phal in classical emesis
One of the drugs used in therapeutic Vamana, given under supervision as part of Panchakarma rather than as an ordinary remedy.
Samudra Phal for cough and skin
Its Kapha-clearing pungency is used in cough with congestion and in chronic skin complaints, within compound formulations.
Dosage — how much to take
Fruit powder 500 mg – 2 g per day within a compound, as prescribed. Emetic use only under supervision.
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 Samudra?
The citations held for Samudra in this catalogue are: Charaka Samhita (Kalpasthana — Vamana dravya); Bhavaprakasha Nighantu (Guduchyadi Varga — Hijjala).
What does the Charaka Samhita record about Samudra?
Listed among the emetic drugs used in Panchakarma. Reference: Charaka Samhita — Kalpasthana — Vamana dravya.
What does the Bhavaprakasha Nighantu record about Samudra?
Katu-tikta rasa, ushna virya; vamaka and kaphahara. Reference: Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Guduchyadi Varga — Hijjala.
What is Samudra traditionally used for in Ayurveda?
Used as a Vamana drug in classical emesis therapy, and given in cough, skin disease and worm infestation. In this catalogue it appears in Laxmivilas Ras. The seed is also used externally in skin complaints.
What are the Ayurvedic properties of Samudra?
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 Samudra classified the way it is?
In dravya-guna a drug's dosha action follows from its taste, qualities, potency and post-digestive effect. Samudra carries Ushna (Hot) virya and Katu (Pungent) vipaka, which together give the recorded action: Balances Kapha & Vata.
Which part of Samudra is used medicinally?
The part used is Fruit.
How much Samudra is taken, and how?
Fruit powder 500 mg – 2 g per day within a compound, as prescribed. Emetic use only under supervision. Dosage varies with age, constitution and condition — confirm it with a qualified Vaidya.
When should Samudra be avoided?
The seeds contain saponins that are fish-poisons — the fruit has traditionally been used to stupefy fish — and in quantity they cause vomiting and gastric irritation. Use only within classical preparations at prescribed dose. Not for self-medication, in pregnancy or for children.
Where does Samudra grow?
A tree of river banks, tank margins and seasonally flooded ground across India, common in Bengal, Odisha and the Western Ghats.
Classical references
- Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Guduchyadi Varga — Hijjala
Katu-tikta rasa, ushna virya; vamaka and kaphahara. - Charaka Samhita — Kalpasthana — Vamana dravya
Listed among the emetic drugs used in Panchakarma.
Safety & precautions
The seeds contain saponins that are fish-poisons — the fruit has traditionally been used to stupefy fish — and in quantity they cause vomiting and gastric irritation. Use only within classical preparations at prescribed dose. Not for self-medication, in pregnancy or for children.
Where it grows
A tree of river banks, tank margins and seasonally flooded ground across India, common in Bengal, Odisha and the Western Ghats.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called a fish poison?
The saponins in its seeds stupefy fish, and the crushed fruit has been used that way traditionally. The same compounds make it emetic and irritant in quantity.
Is it safe in a formulation?
Within a classical compound at the prescribed dose, yes. It is not a drug to take loose or at self-selected quantity.
