Gyanalok Das*, Dillip.K. Dora** & P.J.

Mishra*
*KVK, Nayagarh, ** Dept. Of Horticulture, OUAT
 ABSTRACT

Human since evolution met all his needs from nature for survival; he used his

intuitions and by trial and error accumulated knowledge of the flora and fauna around

him. This urge for survival also gave him the power to look beyond the ordinary and go

into the intrinsic of things. In this regard the uses of vegetables as cure for his ailments

rather than their role in human nutrition has been taken up as a review.

In this article an honest attempt has been made to bring to light the important usage

of common vegetables as medicine particularly in the traditional system of medicine

pertaining to Ayurveda and Siddha.

 Bulb crops
• Onion (Allium cepa L.)– used in flatulence and
dysentery, is a heart stimulant, increases coronary
flow and frequency of systolic pressure, promotes
bile production and reduces blood sugar, promotes
smooth musculature and uterus.
• Garlic (Allium sativum L.) – Juice is used to cure
earache, fever, coughs, flatulence, jaundice and also
useful for treating skin diseases.
 Cole Crops
• Cabbage/Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var
capitata / botrytis) – Used to treat gout,
rheumatism and also abdominal disorders, skin
diseases, fevers, warts.
• Brocolli (Brassica oleracea L.Var - italica) – Is
an effective antioxidant, anticoagulant and is
also used as carcinogen metabolic modulator-
used for treating bowel cancer.
 Cucurbits
• Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) – Extracts are
used to cure rheumatism and disorders of liver and
spleen, recommended for curing diabetes and asthma.
Kills worms used in piles, leprosy and also jaundice.
• Bottle gourd – (Lagenaria siceraria L.) – Useful in
constipation, inflammations, leaves used in bronchitis,
asthma, fever, skin diseases, baldness, seeds are brain
tonic.
• Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) – Used in for curing
general debility, constipation, renal calculus, fruits are
sweet and cooling and used as tonic.
• Spine gourd (Momordica dioca L.) – Cures skin
diseases, bronchitis, diabetes, piles, urinary
complaints, snake and scorpion bite.
 Leafy vegetables
• Amaranthus (Amaranthus sp. L) – Used for purifying
blood , curing eczema, used as laxative, nausea, in
scorpion sting and snake bite.
• Chenopodium (Chenopodium sp. L) – The plant is
sweet, digestive, laxative, peptic ulcer, seminal
weakness, cardiac disorders and general debility.
• Spinach (Spinacia oleracia L.) – The stems are leaves
are sweet, cooling, aphrodisiac, laxative, appetizer,
sedative and tonic. This is specially used as laxative
for pregnant women and children.
 Legumes
• Cluster bean (Cymopsis tetragonolba L.) – Used
as laxative, digestive, appetizer, tonic,
constipation, biliousness and night blindness.
• Dolichos (Dolichos sp. L) –Used in menstrual
disorders, piles, constipation, aphrodisiac,
opthalmia and skin diseases.
• Peas (Pisum sativum L.) – Sweet, acrid, cooling,
laxative, measles, skin diseases, cuts and
wounds.
 Malvaceous
• Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) – Abdominal
disorders, mucilaginous, aphrodisiac,
constipating and tonic, used in catarrhal
affections.
 Root vegetables
• Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) – Leaves applied to
burns and bruises. Swollen roots are sweet,
expectorant and tonic and are useful in
psycopathy, cough inflammations and general
debility.
• Carrot (Daucus carota L.) Useful for diseases
of kidney and dropsy, given in uterine pain,
appetizer, digestive, infestations of round
worm, thread worm.
 Solanaceous vegetables
• Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) – Leaves are
narcotic, used in cholera, bronchitis, seeds
stimulant, roots are laxative, cardiotonic, cardiac
debility and nose ulcers. Unripe fruits excellent for
liver complaints, green leaves rich in antiascorbic vit
C.
• Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum M.) – Fruits
sweet, digestive, intestinal antiseptic, liver and
kidney stimulant, asthma,constipation..
 Tropical Tuber Crops
• Elephant Foot Yam (Amorphophallus Sp. Roxb.) –
Tonic, carminative, in piles and dysentery,
rheumatism.
• Yams (Dioscorea Sp. L.) - Piles, dysentery,
anthelmintic, leprosy, applied to ulcers, scorpion
sting, snake poison.
• Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) – Laxative,
refrigerant, aphrodisiac, tonic, general debility.
 Perennial Vegetables
• Drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.) – Expectorant,
digestive, anthelmintic, diarrhea, colic, paralysis,
inflammations, cough, asthma, epilepsy, rheumatism,
cardiac and circulatory tonic, fainting, giddiness,
hysteria.
• Plantain (Musa paradisiaca L.) – Tonic, useful in blood
and venereal diseases, diabetes, antiscorbic, hysteria,
epilepsy, mouth wash, young leaves for dressing to
burns and blisters.
• Green Papaya (Carica papaya L.) – milky juice of unripe
fruits used as cosmetic to remove freckles and
blemishes, anthelmintic, used to quench thirst
REFERENCES:
• Advances in Horticlture (Vol 5-6) Ed. G.L. Kaloo
• Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants By R. N. Chopra, S.L. Nayar & I.
C. Copra, NISC &IR (CSIR)
• Indian Materia Medica By Kanitkar & Basu (Vol. I – IV)
• Indian Materia Medica By A. K. Nadakarni
• Indian Medicinal Plants By Vaidyaratnam P S Varier’s Arya Vaidya
Sala (Vol 1-5)
• Pharmacognosy of Indigenous Drugs. (Vol I – III) Central Council for
Research in Ayurveda & Siddha
• Vegetable Crops Ed. By Bose, Som & Kabir, Nayaprokash Publishers.
• Wealth of India C. S. I. R., India.