Aegle
Marmelos (Bilva or Bael): All About
Aegle marmelos, a plant indigenous to India
has been used by the inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent for over 5000
years. It is believed that Goddess Parvati ji worshiped under the Bilva tree
for three thousand years in Haridwar to get married to Lord Shiva. Shiva Purana
says that a person who serves and feed milk, ghee and cereals to a hungry
devotee of Lord Shiva on roots of its tree, he never faces poverty in his life.
In Ayurevdic texts Aegle marmelosl tree has
been held in high esteem owing to its medicinal value. The leaves, bark, roots,
fruits and seeds are used extensively in the Indian traditional system of
medicine the Ayurveda and in various folk medicine to treat myriad ailments.
Bael fruits
are of dietary use and the fruit pulp is used to prepare delicacies like
murabba, puddings and juice.
Bael fruits are also used in the treatment of
chronic diarrhea, dysentery, and peptic ulcers, as a laxative and to recuperate
from respiratory affections in various folk medicines. Scientific studies have
validated many of the ethnomedicinal uses and reports indicate that the fruit
possesses broad range of therapeutic effects that includes free radical
scavenging, antioxidant, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, antibacterial,
antiviral, anti-diarrheal, gastroprotective, anti-ulcerative colitis,
hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, cardioprotective and radioprotective effects.
English
Names - Bael
tree, Bengal Quince.
Common Names - Bilva, Shriphala, Shaandilya,
Shailuusha, Shalya, Sadaaphala, Mahaakapitha (Kapitha is equated with Feronia
limonia), Maaluura, Rudrajataa, Rudranirmaalya, Shivajataakhya, Bael, Vilvam,
Koovilam.
Aegle
Marmelos (Bilva or Bael): Health Benefits
Stomachic, antimicrobial (specific for
diarrhoea, colitis,dysentery and enteric infections), digestive, astringent,
spasmolytic, hypoglycaemic.
THERAPEUTIC
EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPONENTS OF AEGLE MARMELOS:
Antiulcer
activity: Luvangetin
proved effective against aspirin-induced and pylorus-ligated gastric ulcers in
rats; and cold restraint gastric ulcers induced by stress in guinea pigs and
rats through the mechanism of mucosal defensive factors.
Antimicrobial
activity: Essential
oils from the leaves completely inhibited germination of fungal spores. Oil
from seeds proved to have antibacterial properties while ethanolic extract from
roots displayed activity against various microbes.
Hypoglycemic
activity: Aqueous
extract from the leaves exhibited hypoglycemic activity against diabetes in
rats. Its effectiveness was similar to that induced by insulin in restoring
glucose level in blood and body weight.
Anti-diarrhoeal
activity:
Effectiveness of preparation consisting Aegle Marmelos was proved against
diarrhea.
Anti-inflammatory
activity: Aqueous
extract from the roots proved effective against chronic and acute inflammation.
Aegle
Marmelos (Bilva or Bael): Nutrient Composition
Aegle marmelos has numerous components housed
in various parts of the tree including:
Alkaloids: Leaves of Aegle Marmelos contain alkaloids
like aegeline and aegelenine. The aerial parts and roots of the tree contain
skimmianine and Anthraquinones.
Coumarins: The fruits contain marmelosin, marmelide,
allo-imperatorin and psoralen. The roots contain psoralen, umbelliferone,
scopoletin, xanthotoxin, and dimethoxy coumarin. The heartwood contains
glucosides and seeds contain luvangetin.
Tannins: The fruits contain tannic-acid while leaves
contain condensed form of tannins.
Triterpenes: The roots contain lupeo and beta-sitosterol.
Aegle
Marmelos (Bilva or Bael): Various Applications
It is a very good antidiarrhoeal. Ayurveda
suggests the use of root in dysuria; stembark in diabetes and lipid disorders.
A number of coumarins (including xanthotoxol
and alloimperatorin methyl ether), flavonoids (including rutin and marmesin),
alkaloids (including alpha-fagarine), sterols and essential oils have been
isolated from plant parts. Pectin is an important constituent of the fruit.
Alkaloid aegeline, present in the leaves, is
efficacious in asthma. The active principle in aqueous extract of leaf shows
hypoglycaemic activity similar to insulin. Leaves are also given in jaundice.
Alcoholic extract of seeds shows antiallergic activity. Marmin, a coumarin
isolated from the roots, shows anti-inflammatory effects experimentally. Marmin
also inhibited gastric haemorrhagic lesions in rats and exhibited antiulcer
effects.
Seed oil showed beneficial effects in
regeneration of tumour cells. Aurapten is found to be the most potent inhibitor
of heart rate. Rootbark is used for palpitation of the heart. Eagle marmelos
had a potential to reduce chemical-induced skin papillomas, reducing the tumour
incidence, tumour yield, tumour burden, and cumulative number of papillomas.
Ripe bael fruit has been traditionally used
also as a well-known laxative, treating constipation, however, the unripe fruit
is also a common remedy for diarrhoea and dysentery, inhibiting intestinal
motility and having also documented gastroprotective effects.
Aegle
Marmelos (Bilva or Bael): THERAPEUTIC USES
Many parts of this tree including unripe and
ripe fruits; fruit-pulp, rind of ripe fruits, bark, roots and bark of roots are
used in various medicinal preparations.
Green fruits: These possess effective
digestive, astringent and stomachic properties.
Ripe fruits: Relieves chronic dysentery and
diarrhea. They act as tonic for brain and heart. They also relieve bacillary
dysentery and assist in relieving of ulcerated mucosa of intestine.
Roots: In the decoction form, roots relieve
intermittent fever, melancholia and palpitation of heart. It is also an
ingredient in preparing an Ayurvedic medicine called, ‘Dashmool or
Dashmoolarisht’.
Leaves: Bitter tasting leaves act as febrifuge.
‘Poultice’ prepared using them relieves ophthalmic disorder and ulcer. Fresh
leaves are used to relieve conditions like weak heart, beri-beri and dropsy.
It finds ample use as abortifacient,
astringent, anodyne, digestive, dentifrice, refrigerant, laxative, and
restorative.
Aegle
Marmelos (Bilva or Bael): Medicinal Applications
1.
Bael fruit
serves as stool binding and so it is used in condition like diarrhea, dysentery
etc.
2.
Powder of
bael leaves has anti diabetic effect.
3.
Juice of
bael leaves with black pepper i.e. kali marich is helpful in jaundice.
4.
Syrup made
of pulp of bael fruit, with tamarind is useful in burning sensation on skin,
diarrhea, yellow coloration of skin, nausea etc.
5.
When there
is pain and redness in eyes, poultice of bael leaves applied on eyes gives good
result.
6.
Muarraba of
bael is effective in diarrhea, especially when there is bleeding.
7.
Bael’s pulp
used with jaggery gives results in blood disorders.
8.
In excessive
bleeding and problem of leucorrhoea, juice of bael leaves with cumin seed
(jeera) and milk is effective.
9.
Local
application of one part of dry powder of Bael fruit and two parts of mustard
oil are useful in burn.
10.
In stress,
insomnia and feeling of nervousness milk boiled with bark of bael tree give
good result.
11.
Oil prepared
by boiling bael’s soft leaves with cow urine, sesame oil and goat milk in the
ratio of 1: 4:8 is useful in ear diseases.
12.
Bael leaves
soaked overnight in water and strained water is drunk in the morning gives
relief in pain and discomfort in peptic ulcers.
13.
Bilva fruit
powder is useful in irritable bowel syndrome and it has stomachic.
14.
The extract
of bael leaves is useful in conjunctivitis, deafness and leucorrhea.
15.
The young leaves
and shoots of bilva tree are used as food in Thailand. They have nutritional
value.
16.
The leaf
extract has been reported to have antispermatogenic effect and were used a
fertility control in Bangladesh.
17.
Ayurvedic
texts hold that Aegle marmelos pacifies vata, kafa and enhances digestive fire
(jatharagni).
18.
Paste of bael
with shunthi, pipali and black pepper is useful in jaundice.
Aegle
Marmelos (Bilva or Bael): Treatment of Various Ailments
The bark, roots, stem, flowers and leaves of
the aegle marmelos tree are used in relieving various ailments such as:
Constipation: Fresh and unripe fruit relieves
constipation.
Jaundice: Consuming 10 to 15 ml of liquid relieves
jaundice.
Leucorrhoea: Consuming three to six grams of
the root- powder relieves Leucorrhoea.
Dehydration of ruminants and Diarrhea: Bark, roots, stem, flowers and
leaves relieve these conditions.
Bronchitis: Consuming juice of Aegle Marmelos once a day
relieves bronchitis.
Wound, inflammation and pain: Paste of Aegle Marmelos relieves
these conditions.
Menstrual problem: Extract from the whole plant
relieves this condition.
Brain: Aegle Marmelos extract acts as brain tonic.
Others: Miscarriages, placenta retention, vaginal
hemorrhage, milk fever, orchiditis, tachycardia, swelling of throat,
bradycardia, pneumonia, hemorrhagic septicemia, lumbar fracture, polyurea and
so on are relieved using pulp of ripe and unripe fruit.
Various parts of Aegle Marmelos are used to relieve other problems
like cholera, stomach ache, snake-bite, malaria, dyspepsia, convulsion, thirst,
spasm, nausea, itches, tumors, sores and proctitis.
Ripened fruit of bael is one of a
good laxative. Pulp of ripened fruit or in the form of a sharbat /syrup is
useful in constipation. Ripened fruit of Bael is difficult to digest and is
full of doshas, so its use if not specified should be avoided.
