Dr Vikas Sharma & Saiyana Sharma
Aak flower plant is having an important place in Hinduism and considered as a holy and sacred plant to worship Lord Shiva. Aak pharmacological activities have been popular in the past to cure several diseases in human beings such as cold, fever, leprosy, asthma, rheumatism, eczema, indigestion, diarrhea, elephantiasis, skin diseases and dysentery. Himalayan regions are well-known to supply life-supporting plants to humans. The Northwest Himalaya represents very distinct topographical belts having characteristic climate, geology and unique flora of high valued medicinal and endemic species. One of the most paramount flora found in India is Calotropis procera, commonly known as Aak. There are mainly two species of Aak present in India: red & white, while red Aak flower plant is highly useful in Ayurveda and the white Aak flower plant is having an important place in Hinduism and considered as a holy and sacred plant to worship Bhagwan Shiv. Basically, Calotropis procera is a soft-wooded, perennial shrub of the family Apocynaceae and subfamily Asclepiadaceae (the milkweed family). It is known by various names in different languages nationwide-In Hindi: Aak, Madar, Akoaa, Akwan, Aakan; In Sanskrit: Ark, Mandar, Alark, Shukfal; In Marathi: Aakada; In Bengali: Aakand; In Gujarati: Aakado; In English: Mudar, Gigantic Swallow Wort, Apple of Sodom, Sodom’s milkweed, swallow-wort, Indian milkweed, mudar fibre, mudar plant, rooster tree; other common names of Aak are: bitter apple, poison apple, snake apple, thorn apple, cabbage tree, camel tree and dead sea fruit. It is an evergreen xerophytic plant which is generally found in arid and semi-arid habitats. The word “Calotropis” is derived from Greek word which means “beautiful,” that refers to its flowers; whereas “procera” is a Latin word referring to the cuticular wax present on its leaves and stem. It is a spreading shrub or medium-sized tree reaching 2.5 to 6 m in height. It has a deep taproot of 3-4 m deep and a secondary root system with woody lateral roots that may rapidly regenerate adventitious shoots when the plant is injured. The stems are twisted and covered with a fissured corky bark. These have grey-green leaves which are 15-30 cm long and 2.5-10 cm broad and have a succulent and waxy appearance. The flowers are pentamerous, small, cream or greenish white at the base and purple violet at the extremity of the lobes. The fruit is a fleshy and inflated, up to 10 cm or more in diameter. C. procera is native to Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Western Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Indo-China. It is a multipurpose plant and is widely used in traditional medicinal systems in North Africa, Middle East Asia, South Asia, and South-East Asia. The pharmacological activities of Aak have been popular in the past to cure several diseases in human beings such as cold, fever, leprosy, asthma, rheumatism, eczema, indigestion, diarrhea, elephantiasis, skin diseases, and dysentery. These medicinal attributes of C. procera can be credited to secondary metabolites and cardiotonic substances present in the plant. It can help to cure cough & cold, its powdered leaf helpful in curing wound faster. It is helpful in treating indigestion / constipation, killing of intestinal worms, curing tooth cavities, treating joint pains, normalizing blood circulation and also helpful in treating obesity and diabetes. It is also used as an antidote for snake bites. C. procera contains cardiac glycosides, which inhibits the proliferation of MCF-7 cells through cytotoxicity, apoptosis and autophagy. C. procera is also a promising phyto-therapeutic option for treating inflammatory conditions of the colon. Calotropis procera is an emerging source of natural fiber and is used as an alternative for fodder during dry periods.
(The authors are from Biochemistry
Division of SKUAST-Jammu).