Medical Wonders of the Beautiful Harsingar

Considered a sacred symbol of love and devotion, Parijat is known to bring peace and prosperity to the household that plants it. Its mesmerizing fragrance is stress- relieving and calming for the mind and body.

The origin of the word parijat is defined in Priya Nighantu, a classical Ayurveda text, as :

It means, the plant is called parijat, because of its origin from samudra (Ocean) as a result of parinaha or extensive searching. The scriptures mention that during the Samudra Manthan, a plant originated which was named parijat.

The flowers of Parijat (Nyctanthes arbortristis), also known as Harsingar, lose their brightness during the day, which has led to the moniker of the ‘tree of sorrow’. The botanical name — Arbor-tristis, is a scientific term that also means ‘sad tree’ (sad = tristis, tree = arbor).Some people believe that keeping the wood of Harsingar, tied in a red cloth, in purse or locker or where one puts money, will ensure they will never experience deficit of money.

Lord Indra, the king of devas took Parijat with himself and planted it in his garden as a gift to his wife Indrani. Since then, the tree is referred to as ‘tree of the universe’ and its flowers are considered as the ‘jewels of gods’.

It is also said that Lord Krishna brought the tree to earth as a gift for his wife, Devi Satyabhama. The story goes that after killing Narakasura, Shri Krishna went to Swarga where Indra presented him with a Parijatplant. Shri Krishna gifted this to Devi Rukmini. Devi Satyabhama, who was blessed with eternal youth by Devmata Aditi, got to know about this plant by Narad muni. He told her that how Devi Rukmini also attained eternal youth with the help of Parijat. A quarrel over Parijat ensued between Satyabhama and Rukmini. But Shri Krishna planted the tree in Devi Satyabhama’s courtyard in a way, that when the tree flowered, the flowers fell in Devi Rukmini’s courtyard.

According to Harivansh Puran, the Parijat tree is a Kalpavriksha (wish-bearing tree), a quality which is, otherwise, only found in heaven. Sikhism also mentions the importance of Harsingar. In the Sikh religious text, Sukhmani Sahib, the tree is mentioned as ‘PaarJaat – Eh Har Ko Naam: The name of Lord is the mythological tree.’ According to Vastu Shastra, planting this tree at home in the right direction will fill your house with happiness and good fortune. It is customary for newly-weds to visit this tree for blessings.

The flower is known as Shiuli in Bangla. In Bengali culture, the sacredness of Shiuli Phool (flower) is marked by presenting it to the goddess as a prayer offering. It is believed that flowers that fall off by themselves during the night are the ones for the offering. Plucking of the flowers is prohibited.

The native people of Tripura use the plant to help predict weather and rainfall. The tree is the subject of a literary work named Parijatapaharanamu in Telugu, written by Nandi Thimmana, the court-poet of Krishnadevaraya, the powerful, 16^th-century Vijayanagara emperor. The poet Kalidasa sings about the flower in his Sanskrit masterpiece, Ritusamhara.

The flower is known by different names in different parts of India: English: Night jasmine, coral jasmine; Hindi: Parja,  Har,  Siharu,  Harsinghar, Saherwa, Seoli,  Nibari, Shefali; Kannada: Parijata, Harashingar; Odia: Shingadahar, Harashingar, Gangaseuli, Jharasephali; Tamil: Pavilamalligai, Manja-pu, Pavazahamalligai; Telugu: Pagadammali, Swetasarasa, Paghada, Karchia, Karuchiya; Malayalam: Pavilamalli, Parijatam, Pavizhamalli, Parijatakam; Marathi: Khurasli, Parijataka, Purijat

Ayurveda literature mentions various synonyms with a specific significance attached to each :

There are various indications and applications of the Parijata plant, described in various texts of Ayurveda, such as Raj Nighantu, Shaligram Nighantu, Priya Nighantu, Adarsh Nighantu, Bhavprakash, Charak Samhita, Sushruta Samhita etc. Some of the medicinal uses can be broadly categorised as:

Classical Ayurveda literature has defined the dose of various parts of this plant as well, which must be used as directed by an Ayurveda physician :

Parijat is used differently to manage various medical conditions and disorders. Some among the many usages are:

• According to Bhavaprakasha Nighantu, the kalka (paste) prepared out of seeds rubbed in water is applied over the affected area in case of hair loss.
• The fresh juice of the leaf is given in a dose of 5-10 ml to treat sciatica. A decoction of the leaves is recommended specifically for obstinate sciatica.
• The fresh juice of the plant is given in cases of constipation, intestinal worms, hepatomegaly and piles in a dose of 10- 15 ml.
• In case of asthma and cough, the powder of dried leaf or bark is given with betel leaf juice in a dose of 2-3 ml.
• The paste of the bark or leaf is applied over the area affected with eczema and ring worm.
• In case of snake poisoning, the juice of the leaf is advocated in difficulty in micturition.
• The flowers are used to prepare perfumes after distillation.
• Leaf juice with madhu (honey) is used in Jeerna jwara (chronic fever) and with loha-bhasma used in pandu (anemia), yakrit and pleeha vriddhi (hepato-billiary diseases).
• According to Susrutha Samhita, the panchanga kwatha (decoction of whole plant) is mentioned in the context of udaka-meha (chyluria)
• Parijat, Ikshuraka and Apamarga along with Kshara-taila is mentioned in spleen disorders.
• The taila prepared out of Parijat twak (bark) is mixed with kanji (rice gruel) and saindhava (rock salt) to prepare a specific type of anjana (a dosage form used to apply in sclera part of eye). This anjana is beneficial in pain in the eyes and different eye diseases.
•  The tender leaves of Parijat,  ginger juice and  honey along with loha bhasma are beneficial is anemia.
• Taking the churna prepared out of bark along with betel leaves, 3 to 4 times in a day, is indicated in case of  cough and  breathlessness/ bronchial tree diseases.

Different other commercial uses are:-

• The plant is cultivated for its fragrant flowers, used in the preparation of different perfumes and dyes. Locally, the dye is also used for dyeing cotton cloth and as a cheap substitute for saffron, in coloring the robes of Buddhist priests.
• For dyeing, fabrics are immersed in a decoction of the corolla tubes. They impart a beautiful orange, yellow or golden colour like saffron, but the colour is easily washed out, and will fade rapidly in the sun. To make the colour more permanent, lime juice or alum is added to the dye bath. Then the colour is moderately resistant to light, soap, alkali and acid.
• The bark may be used as a tanning material and the leaves are used for polishing the ivory. It is also used like sandpaper to polish wood.

*The writer is an Ayurveda physician, DST Woman Scientist A, AIIMS New Delhi, and founder of Pratha Ayurveda.