BOTANICAL NAME: Sida cordifolia
FAMILY: Malvaceae
CLASSICAL CLASSIFICATION:
Charaka: Brihaniya, Prajasthapana, Madhura Skanda, Asthapan Basti.
Sushruta: Vatasamshana
Bhavaprakash: Guduchyadi Varga
ENGLISH NAME: Country Mallow
COMMON NAME: Bala
Bengali: Bedela
Hindi: Bariyar, bariyara, kharethi
Kannada: Kisangi, hettuti-gida
REFERENCE: BHAVAPRAKASH SAMHITA with link e Nighantu:
https://niimh.nic.in/ebooks/e-Nighantu/bhavaprakashanighantu/?mod=read
बला
बला वाट्यालिका वाट्या सैव वाट्यालकाऽपि च |
महाबला पीतपुष्पा सहदेवी च सा स्मृता ||१२३||
ततोऽन्यातिबला ऋष्यप्रोक्ता कङ्कतिका च सा |
गाङ्गेरुकी नागबला झषा ह्रस्वगवेधुका ||१२४||
बलाचतुष्टयं शीतं मधुरं बलकान्तिकृत् |
स्निग्धं ग्राहि समीरास्रपित्तास्रक्षतनाशनम् ||१२५||
बलामूलत्वचश्चूर्णं पीतं सक्षीरशर्करम् |
मूत्रातिसारं हरति दृष्टमेतन्न संशयः ||१२६||
हरेन्महाबला कृच्छ्रं भवेद्वातानुलोमनी |
हन्यादतिबला मेहं पयसा सितया समम् ||१२७||
HABITAT: A hairy herb or under-shrub 1.0-1.5 m high, annual or more often perennial with golden yellow flowers, flowering mostly throughout the year found abundantly throughout the hotter parts of India, as a common weed on road sides and other waste places in plains and hills, up to an elevation of 600 m.
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION: Tap roots, fairly long with a number of lateral branches, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, light brown, outer surface smooth with dot like lenticels, bark thin and can be easily peeled off, odour, feeble, taste, astringent and bitter.
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES:
| RASA | GUNA | VEERYA | VIPAKA | PRABHAVA | DOSHGHNTA |
| Madhur | Snigdh,pichil | Sheeta | Madhur | – | Vata- pitta har |
AYURVEDIC ENERGETICS:
| TASTE | PROPERTY | POTENCY | POST DIGESTIVE EFFECT | EFFECT ACTION | DOSHA ACTION |
| Sweet | Unctuous, sticky. | Cold | Sweet | – | Vata pitta pacifying |
MAJOR CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS: Eqhedrine, sterol, mucin, betaine
THERAPEUTIC USES:
- Joint pain: External application of paste made of bala mool with water.
- Cervical spondylitis: Oil prepared from herb is used locally.
- Urinary disorder: Root infusion is given internally.
- Wound healing: Paste of herb locally applied.
INDICATIONS:
Raktapitta epistaxis, kshatahara injury, Grahi absorbent, ojaskara immunity, kantivardhaka improve skin texture, vatasrahara gout.
USEFUL PART: Mool
DOSAGE: Churna – 3-6 g of the drug in powder form.
AYURVEDIC FORMULATION:
- Bala tail,
- Narayan tail,
- Mahanarayan tail