VARUNA

Latin name: Crataeva nurvala Ham.

Family: Capparidaceae

Gana/ Varga:                                                                        

Sushruta	Varunadi, Vatashmarinashana, Kaphashmarinashana
Bhavaprakasha Nighantu	Vatadi Varga 65, 66
Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India Vol I	Part I
Dravyaguna Vijnana II	P.V. Ashmaribhedana page 652-654

Synonyms:

Tiktashaka (Bp. Ni.): Taste is Tikta.

Kumaraka (Bp. Ni.): Leaves remain tender for many days.

Shwetapushpa: Flowers are White in colour.

Ashmarighna: It is litho tropic in action.

Varuna (Bp. Ni.)

Varana (Bp. Ni.)

Setu (Bp. Ni.)

 

Vernacular names:                      

Hindi	Barun
Kannada	Neervalamara
Bengal	Varuna
Marathi	Vayavarna
Gujarat	Varno
Telagu	Magalingam
Punjab	Barna
Tamil	Maralingam
Malayalam	Neermatalam
English	Three leaved caper

Morphology:

Habit: Small tree with much branched head. Leaves deciduous, 3- foliolate; Leaflets 5-15 by 3.8-6.3 cm ovate, lanceolate or obovate, acute or acuminate, attenuate at the base, entire, glabrous on both surfaces, pale beneath, lateral leaflets oblique at the base. Flowers many, in dense terminal corymbs, greenish white; Sepals petaloid; Petals very narrow; Stamens longer than the petals, spreading; Gynophore nearly 5 cm long terete, smooth. Fruit a globose or ovoid, woody, smooth or scurfy berry, on the thickened gynophore. Seeds embedded in the pulp, nearly smooth, brown.

            The filaments of the stamens are purple or white when young, lilac when old; the gynophore is lilac; the sepals green when young, yellow or pale pink when old; the petals whitish when young, yellowish when old.    

Distribution: Almost all over India and Burma, wild or cultivated. Often found along streams, but also in dry deep boulder formations in the sub-Himalayan tract.

Types: NA

Guna-Karma:                      

Guna	Laghu, Ruksha
Rasa	Kashaya, Madhura, Tikta, Katu
Vipaka	Katu
Virya	Ushna
Prabhava	Ashmaribhedana
Karma
Doshaghnata	Pittala, Kapha-Vatahara Kapha hara: Pertaining to Kashaya, Katu, Tikta rasa and Ushna virya. Vata hara:Pertaining to Ushna virya
Anyakarma	Bhedana, Agnidipaka, Dipana, Pittasaraka, Bhedana, Krumighna, Raktashodhaka;

Prayoga: Mutrakruchra, Ashmari, Gulma, Vatarakta, Krumi, Vranashotha, Vidradhi, Gandamala, Yakrutvikara, UTI, Jwara;

Chemical composition:

Mula and Kanda Twak: triterpenoids,  lupeol  &  varunol

Mula twak: lauric, stearic, unde cyclic, oleic and lenoleic  acids. Ceryl alcohol, friedeline,  betulenic acid  and  diosgenin

Patra: flavonoids   including   rutin,   quercentine,   isoquercetine.

Prayojya Anga: Twak (Stem Bark): Thickness or bark varies, usually 1-1.5 cm according to the age and portion of the plant from where the bark is removed, outer surface, greyish to greyish-brown with ash-grey patches, at places- surface rough due to a number of lenticels, shallow fissures and a few vertical or longitudinal ridges, inner most surface smooth and cream white in colour, fracture tough and short, odour- indistinct, taste- slightly bitter.

Sangraha Kala: NA

Amayika prayoga:

Bahya:

1.     Gandamala: Lepana of Mula twak Kwtha is advised.

2.     Sandhivata: Lepana of Twak kalka is beneficial.

Abhyantara:

1.     Gandamala : Kwatha prepared from Varuna mula with Madhu cures chronic Gandamala;

2.     Apakwa Vidhradi : Kwatha of Varuna Mula also cures Apakwa Vidhradi;

3.     Mutravaha srotas: Katu rasa, Ruksha guna and Ushna virya acts as Ashmari bhedana.

Ashmari: Mula twak Kwatha added with Twak Churna should be given.

Mutrakricchra: Twak kwatha is highly beneficial.

 Ashmari, Mutrakricchra: Twak kwatha with Gokshura, Apamarga, Punarnava, Yavakshara and Yashtimadhu is beneficial.

4.     Annavaha srotas:

Udarashula and Kupachana: Phanta prepared with fresh leaves is given.

5.     Medovaha srotas:

Prameha: Twak kwatha with Gokshura, Apamarga, Punarnava, Yavakshara and Yashtimadhu is beneficial.

Sthoulya: Fresh leaves are eaten.

 

Matra: 20-30 gm of drug for Kwatha preparation;

Vishishta Yoga: Vrunadi kwatha, Varunadi ghrita

 

Research:

1.    Diuretic Activity:  of the leaves of Crataeva nurvala  An  aqueous and  ethanolic  extract  of  leaves  of Crataeva nurvala found to be effective in albino rats. .( https://ijapr.in/index.php/ijapr/article/view/331/347)

2.    2. Alcoholic extract of Crataeva nurvala showed protective activity   against   cisplatin   induced   nephro toxicity.   The alcoholic  extract  significantly  saltered  the  dysfunction  of renal proximal tubule  cells by decreasing the concentration   of   blood   urea   nitrogen,   creatinine,   lipid peroxidation, glutathione. 

     ( https://ijapr.in/index.php/ijapr/article/view/331/347)

3.    3. Chloroform  extract  of  stem  bark  of Varun (Crataeva nurvala ) is found to be effective against  both gram positive (B.  cereus)  and  gram  negative  (E.  coli)  mediated  urinary tract   infection   and   prostatitis   at   minimum   inhibitory concentration. 

      ( https://ijapr.in/index.php/ijapr/article/view/331/347)

4.    Varun ( Crataeva  nurvala )  stem  bark  extracts  showed  potent anti diabetic activity  in alloxan -induced diabetes  in – vivo.     Results     were comparable     with     standard glibenclamide.  The  effect  may be  due  to  increase  insulin  secretion from ß - cells of islets of Langerhans or its release from bound  insulin due to enhanced glucose utilization  by peripheral tissues. 

  ( https://ijapr.in/index.php/ijapr/article/view/331/347)

 

5.    The  central  unit  of  Govt.  Research  dept. of  Ayurveda,  Hyderabad Varun Kwath is  used  as stomach wash through  Ryle’s tube and is found to very effective in case of peptic ulcer.

    ( https://ijapr.in/index.php/ijapr/article/view/331/347)