Parijat: Uses, Benefits, Side effects and More!

Introduction

Parijat is a very well-known flowering tree that belongs to the family Oleaceae. It is commonly called Parijat, Harsinghar or Sheoli in Hindi; Night /Coral Jasmine in English; Parijata or Sephalika in Sanskrit; Pavizhamalli in Malayalam; Manjhapu in Tamil; and Parijatak in Gujarati and Marathi.¹ 

Every part of the Parijat plant has diverse medicinal qualities that make it useful in various ailments. The plant’s botanical name is Nyctanthes arbortrotis Linn, which in Greek means night flower for the word ”Nyctanthes” and sad tree for ”arbortrotis”. The name comes from the tree’s rhythm of blooming, as the tree blossoms with fragrance in the late evening and loses its flower just before sunrise. People call it a night flowering sad tree because it loses its radiance during the day.¹”‹ 

Nutritional Benefits of Parijat

The presence of the following primary metabolites and phytochemicals has been identified in the Parijat: 

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Amino acids 
• Alkaloids
• Flavonoids 
• Glycosides 
• Tannins
• Phenols 
• Steroids 
• Resins and
• Saponins¹ 

Therapeutic Uses of Parijat

Parijat is a medicinal plant with potent phytochemical components which may be used for various medicinal conditions. This plant has been in use in various branches of medicine like Ayurvedic, Sidha and Unani. Each part of the plant is useful in its own way depending on its pharmacological activity.¹ 

Various therapeutic properties of various parts of Parijat plant are:

The Stem: 

• Anti-diabetic² 
• Anti-microbial^3,4 
• Anti-fungal⁴ 
• Antivenin³ 

The Leaves: 

• Anti-hyperlipidaemic⁵ 
• Nephroprotective ⁵
• Anti-oxidative⁵ 
• Anti-inflammatory^5,6 
• Diuretic¹ 
• Laxative¹ 
• Diaphoretic¹ 
• Anti-fungal¹ 
• Anti-allergic³ 
• Anti-histaminic³ 
• Hepatoprotective⁷ 
• Expectorant.¹ 
• Cholagogue¹ 
• Anti-pyretic¹ 
• Anti-spasmodic³ 

The Flowers and Seeds: 

• Anthelmintic^5,8
• Anti-bilious³ 
• Astringent³ 
• Stomachic³ 
• Carminative³ 
• Expectorant³ 
• Cholagogue³ 

Benefits of Parijat: 

Benefits of Parijat for Diabetes and Hyperlipidaemia: 

The extract from the stem bark of Parijat is found to be very effective in reducing blood glucose depending on the dosage of administration. Hence the extract has been in use for its hypoglycemic activity in persons with diabetes. Often hyperlipidaemia can be linked to hyperglycaemia in diabetes. Both of these could be managed with the leaves of Parijat. In addition, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of the Parijat protect the kidneys that could be damaged due to hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia.^2,5 

Benefits of Parijat for Arthritis and Sciatica: 

The decoction prepared using leaves of the Parijat consists of anti-inflammatory activity, which effectively treats sciatica and arthritis. The decoction may be able to treat oedema in the knee joints by reducing inflammation. ⁶ 

In addition to this, the flowers of the Parijat can soothe the symptoms of gout.¹ 

Benefits of Parijat for Spasm and as an Anti-parasitic: 

The extracts of the leaves are very effective as an anthelminthic, and the extract from the flowers is excellent as an anti-spasmodic. Hence the flowers are used for relieving menstrual problems in women.³ 

The anthelminthic activity of seeds and flowers can kill the worms as they have a lethal effect. Mainly, they are used to treat roundworms and threadworms in children. This activity is mostly due to the plant’s ability to inhibit the motility of the worms.^3,8 

Also Read: Methi – Uses, Benefits & Side Effects

How to Use Parijat? 

Different kinds of formulations are used for various ailments as follows: 

1. Dry Cough – Leaf juice as expectorant.¹ 
2. Expectorant – Grains of Parijat bark with betel nuts and leaf.¹ 
3. Chronic fever – Fresh leaf juice mixed with honey .¹ 
4. Ringworm infection – watery paste of the leaves or fresh leaves boiled with mustard oil .¹ 
5. Intestinal worm – Leaf juice with table salt or sugar for children.¹ 
6. Purgative for infants – Fresh juice of Parijat leaves with honey mixed with common salt.³ 
7. Anti-spasmodic remedy – Fresh flower juice mixed with honey.³ 
8. Diabetes – Dried herb or its decoction.³ 
9. Gynaecological problems in Women –Formulation of fresh young leaves of Parijat combined with black peppercorns.¹ 
10. Malaria – The seed powder mixed with honey and decoction of leaves. ¹ 

Your Ayurvedic physician will prescribe you the form and dosage as per your health condition. 

Also Read: Aryogyavardhini Vati – Uses, Benefits & Side Effects

Frequently Asked Questions: 

1) Can I Use Parijat for Hair Growth? 

Yes, the decoction made of Parijat seeds is used to make hair tonic.It is used daily to wash hair, to get rid of dandruff and lice. The juice of the flowers of Parijat can also be used as a hair tonic to treat greying of hair and hair loss.¹ 

2) Is Parijat and Harsinghar Same? 

Yes, Harsinghar is another name of Parijat in Hindi. The plant is called by a variety of names in different parts of India.¹ 

3) What are the Side Effects of the Leaves of Parijat? 

There are no documented side effects for leaves of Parijat except the bitter taste. The bitter taste of the leaf juice makes it a very efficient tonic for arthritis, worm infestations and constipation.¹ 

4) What are the uses of Stem Bark of Parijat? 

Parijat’s stem bark possesses antimicrobial and anti-fungal activities. Therefore, it may be used to treat various bacterial and fungal diseases. Some of the bacteria that are sensitive to the stem bark extract are Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Micrococcus luteus and Escherichia coli. The fungi that are vulnerable to the extract of stem bark of Parijat are Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger.⁴ 

5) Can Parijat be used for Weight loss? 

No Parijat plant has not been documented to have any effect in reducing weight or in the treatment of obesity. 

6) What are the Effects of Parijat in Gout? 

The decoction prepared with flowers of Parijat is found to be very effective in relieving the symptoms of gout. The decoction can reduce the severity of symptoms of gout during the attack.¹ 

Also Read: Sarpagandha – Uses, Benefits & Precautions

References: 

1. Kulkarni D M, Dhakne R B, Patil R R, Kulkarni MDM. REVIEW OF NYCTANTHES ARBORTRISTIS AS A MEDICINAL PLANT. 24 | Int J Res Methods Pharm Sci [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2022 Feb 16];2022(1):24–8. Available from: https://ijrmps.com/wp-content/uploads/journal/published_paper/volume-1/issue-1/IJRMPS_eRNPcHH7.pdf  

2. Suresh V, Jaikumar S, Arunachalam G. Anti diabetic activity of ethanol extract of stem bark of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis linn. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences. 2010;1(4):311–7. [cited 2022 Feb 16]. Available from: https://www.rjpbcs.com/pdf/2010_1(4)/[32].pdf  

3. Agrawal J, Pal A. Nyctanthes arbor-tristis Linn-A critical ethnopharmacological review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2013 Apr 19;146(3):645–58. [cited 2022 Feb 16]. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23376280/#:~:text=Ethnopharmacological%20relevance%3A%20Nyctanthes%20arbor%2Dtristis,ailments%20and%20as%20a%20sedative.  

4. Manisha V, Neha S, Satish S. Antimicrobial Activity of Stem Bark Extracts of Nyctanthes arbortristis linn. (Oleaceae). Available online on www.ijppr.com International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Research [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2022 Feb 16];1(1):12–4. Available from: http://impactfactor.org/PDF/IJPPR/1/IJPPR,Vol1,Issue1,Article4.pdf  

5. Mousum SA, Ahmed S, Gawali B, Kwatra M, Ahmed A, Lahkar M. Nyctanthes arbor-tristis leaf extract ameliorates hyperlipidemia- and hyperglycemia-associated nephrotoxicity by improving anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory status in high-fat diet–streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Inflammopharmacology 2018 26:6 [Internet]. 2018 Jun 1 [cited 2022 Feb 16];26(6):1415–28. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10787-018-0497-6  

6. Saxena RS, Gupta B, Saxena KK, Singh RC, Prasad DM. Study of anti-inflammatory activity in the leaves of Nyctanthes arbor tristis Linn. – an Indian medicinal plant. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 1984 Aug 1;11(3):319–30. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6482481/#:~:text=Nyctanthes%20arbor%20tristis%20Linn.,-(Harsingar)%20is%20widely&text=In%20the%20present%20study%2C%20the,by%20different%20phlogistic%20agents%2C%20viz.  

7. Hukkeri VI, Akki KS, Sureban RR, Gopalakrishna B, Byahatti V v., Rajendra S v. Hepatoprotective activity of the leaves of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis linn. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences [Internet]. 2006 Feb 1 [cited 2022 Feb 16];68(4):542–3. Available from: https://www.ijpsonline.com/articles/hepatoprotective-activity-of-the-leaves-of-nyctanthes-arbortristis-linn.html  

8. Das S, Sasmal D, Basu SP. Antispasmodic and anthelmintic activity of Nyctanthes arbortristis Linn. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (IJPSR). 2010;1(2):51–5. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285696034_Antispasmodic_and_antihelmintic_activity_of_Nyctanthes_arbor_tristis_Linn  

Also Read: Cranberry – Uses, Benefits & Side Effects

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