Sallaki: The Sport medicine herb

   

   

        Sallaki is commonly known as Indian olibanum. Sallaki is an aromatic herb. The exudate from this herb has a pleasant smell. The pleasing aroma gives this plant the name ‘Hradani”. The herb is used to treat diseases like Diarrhoea, Bleeding disorders, Ulcers etc. Dr. Varun Ram Raj of Ayurvedatarian uses the herb Sallaki for the treatment of bleeding disorders as it alleviate rakta dhatu vitiation and pitta dosha which are responsible for such disorders. Modern researches shows that many Phyto-constituents like Boswellic acid, Cymene, Piviene etc. found in the plant is helpful in arresting bleeding and healing ulcers quickly. 

General aspects and Geography

Botanical name : Boswellia serrata  

Family :  Burseraceae 

Habitat: Found through out India

Parts used

• Exudate (Niryasa)

Classical categorization based on Ayurveda Textbooks

Charaka Samhita – Purisavirajaniya varga (Reduces abdominal discomforts )

Susruta Samhita – Eladi gana

Pharmacological action

• Diuretic 
• Aromatic 
• Demulcent 
• Antiinflammatory 

Medicinal property according to Ayurveda

• Atisarahara (Reduces diarrhea )
• Vranahara ( heals ulcers)
• Kandughna (Beneficial for reducing itching)
• Kushtaghna (Used for treating skin disorders )
• Jwaraghna (Reduces fever )

Therapeutic indications

• Wound(Vrana)- Powder of Sallaki fruit is applied over the affected area and is bandaged. It can enhance healing.
• Asthma (Swasa) – Fumigation is done using Sallaki and Commiphora mukul(Guggulu ) and ghee for immediate relief from Asthma 

Dosage

Powder (Churna) – 5 g

Exudates (Niryasa)- 3 g

Juice (Swarasa)- 10 ml

Tablet - 2 tablets twice daily or as per the advice of the Ayurveda doctor 

Note: Ayurveda medications must be taken only after consulting an Ayurveda doctor. 

Formulations 

• Sallakyadi twaca kwatha

Morphology :

   A deciduous middle sized tree with ash coloured bark. Leaves are compound and with many leaflets. Inflorescence is axillary raceme. Flowers are triangular ovate.

Vernacular names of Sallaki

English – Indian olibanum

Hindi- Lubar

Malayalam – Kungillyam

Sanskrit -Sallaki, Vanya

Synonyms of Sallaki

• Surabhi
• Mocha
• Vanya
• Aswamuthri 

Rasapanchaka of Sallaki

Rasa- Tikta (bitter) Kashaya (Astringent ) Madhura(Sweet)

Guna-  Laghu (Light)

Vipaka- Katu (Acrid)

Virya- Sita (Cold)

शल्लकी तुवरा शीता पित्तश्लेष्मातिसारजित्।

रक्तपित्व्रणहारीपुष्टिकृत्समुदीरिता ।।

(Bhavaprakasa Nighantu -Vatadi varga-shloka 23)

  Sallaki alleviates Pitta dosha and Rakta dushti (purifies impure blood). Most of the bleeding disorders occurs due to the imbalance of Pitta dosha and Rakta dushti. Ayurvedatarian lead by Dr. Varun Ram Raj, uses the herb to arrest bleeding and also in healing external ulcers quickly due the cold potency and bitter taste.. The herb is also used in the  diseases like Diarrhoea, Skin ailments, Haemorrhoids etc. 

Researches on Sallaki

1. https://pharmeasy.in/blog/ayurveda-uses-benefits-side-effects-of-shallaki/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3361921/

Frequently asked Questions

1) Is Sallaki good for relieving acute joint pain?

   According to Ayurvedic science, Sallaki have excellent sulahara action 9pain relieving action). The ointment prepared from Sallaki can be used to relieve pain by applying it on joint/muscles. 

2) What are the uses of Sallakyadi twaca kwatha ?

 Sallakyadi twaca kwatha is a decoction prepared from Sallaki and is mainly used to treat Athisara(Diarrhoea ).

3) What is the scientific name of Sallaki?

Boswellia serrata is the scientific name of Sallaki.