Showing posts with label rheumatism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rheumatism. Show all posts

Friday, August 14, 2015

Peruvian Pepper Tree Medicinal Uses for Lung Disease Ulcers, Sores Inflamations Hearth Problems

By Liliana Usvat    
Blog 346-365

 












Other Names
  • escobilla,
  • false pepper

Traditional Medicinal Uses: as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antiseptic against bacterial, viral, and fungal infections; for Candida and yeast infections; to tone, balance, and strengthen heart function and as a heart regulator for arrhythmia and mild hypertension; to stop bleeding and heal wounds internally and externally

Suggested Use: Take 60 drops (2 ml) of a 1:4 tincture extract 2-3 times daily or as needed. Can also be used externally by applying to the skin twice daily and letting dry completely. As a gargle or mouth rinse, dilute 60 drops (2 ml) in a small amount of warm water and swish in mouth 2-3 times daily. To learn how to make your own extract, email me.

Traditional Preparation: The leaves are best prepared as an infusion, and the bark is best prepared as a decoction or an alcohol tincture. Generally, 1/2 cup of a bark decoction twice daily is used for colds, flu, sore throats and other upper respiratory infections; 2-3 ml of a 4:1 tincture taken two or three times daily can be substituted, if desired. This traditional remedy is also used as a heart tonic and for irregular heartbeat. A leaf decoction twice daily or as needed is generally used for menstrual disorders.

Contraindications: This plant has been documented with uterine stimulant and uterine antispasmodic actions in animal studies and should therefore not be used in pregnancy

WORLDWIDE ETHNO-MEDICAL USES
Argentina for diarrhea, menstrual disorders, respiratory tract infections, inflammation, urinary tract infections, wounds
Brazil for bronchitis, constipation, cough, cystitis, depression, diarrhea, eye diseases, fever, flu, gonorrhea, heart problems, hemorrhage, inflammation, menstrual disorders, respiratory tract infections, rheumatism, spasms, tumors, urethritis, urinary tract disorders, and as a astringent, stimulant, and tonic
Colombia for diarrhea, lung diseases, rheumatism
Mexico for asthma, bronchitis, cataract, colic, conjunctivitis, constipation, cough, digestive disorders, flu, foot fungus, gonorrhea, gum, mouth sores, rheumatism, sores (skin), stomachache, toothache, tuberculosis, tumors, ulcers, urogenital diseases, venereal disease, warts, wounds, and as an astringent
Paraguay for gonorrhea, menstrual disorders, sores, urethritis, urinary insufficiency, wounds
Peru for constipation, fevers, fractures, rheumatism, toothache, tumors, urinary insufficiency, warts, wounds, and as an antiseptic
South Africa for arrhythmia, colds, cough, depression, gout, hypertension, inflammation, pain, rheumatism
Turkey for constipation, coughs, excessive mucous, gonorrhea, urinary insufficiency, and as a digestive stimulant, and tonic
Uruguay for menstrual disorders, rheumatism, wounds, and as an antiseptic
Elsewhere for bronchitis, constipation, coughs, excessive mucous, edema, eye diseases, gingivitis, gout, hypertension, menstrual disorders, rheumatism, sores, swelling, urinary insufficiency, urogenital inflammation, venereal disease, viruses, and to stimulate digestion


This plant has a traditional use in South America for heart problems (hypertension and arrhythmia).

Main Actions


  • antibacterial, 
  • anticandidal,
  •  antifungal, 
  • antihemorrhagic (reduces bleeding), 
  • cardiotonic (tones, balances, strengthens the heart) 
Other Uses

The leaves are also used for the natural dying of textiles in the Andean region. This practice dates back to pre-Columbian times.

Use for Reforestation

The tree reproduces through seed, suckers and cuttings. Seeds have a particularly hard coat and germination rates are greatly improved after seeds have passed through the gut of birds or other animals. Seeds germinate in spring, with seedlings slow growing until established

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Tulip Tree Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 275-365

Other Names Liriodendron tulipifera



















One of the tallest native trees of eastern North America, features uniquely shaped leaves and large yellow tulip-shaped flowers which are hard to see because of the height of the tree; needs lots of moisture and room to grow, not for small properties

Characteristics

Tuliptree will grow to be about 90 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 50 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 10 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 120 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!
This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided.
Tuliptree has buttery yellow cup-shaped flowers with yellow eyes and orange centers held atop the branches from mid to late spring. It has emerald green foliage throughout the season. The square leaves turn an outstanding gold in the fall. The fruit is not ornamentally significant. The furrowed gray bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.
The Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipifera is a member of the Magnolia Family Magnoliaceae and one of our tallest (to 150 feet) and most beautiful native hardwood trees. The tulip trees are in full flower, which you might miss unless you look up into the tree to find them. Their stunning orange- yellow flowers, set off by glossy, star-shaped leaves are too often overlooked, as they are usually way above our heads.
Food for Wildlife
The tree is a significant source of food for wildlife, as food and habitat for bees and a stately shade tree for large areas. It ranges throughout the Eastern United States from southern New England, west to southern Ontario and Michigan, and south to north-central Florida and Louisiana.
Use
Some references say Tulip Tree roots were used as a flavoring to take the bitterness out of Spruce Beer. 
 Tulip Trees were used to make honey. For just a short time while the tree is blossoming there is a small amount of very sweet nectar in each blossom. It is heavy and honey-flavored. You can drink it directly from the blossom.
 The expert was relying on old reports that probably didn’t describe how the natives used the tree. They weren’t collecting honey, they were collecting nectar. The tree was also called the Sap Poplar, perhaps because its sap is consumable.
Medicinal Uses of AFRICAN TULIP TREE, SPATHODEA CAMPANULATA 
  • A decoction of the bark is astringent and used as a laxative as well as for cases of dysentery and for other gastro-intestinal problems. 
  • A decoction of the bark and leaves is used as a lotion for inflamed skin and on rashes.
  •  The flowers can be applied directly onto wounds, as can the bruised leaves which have mild pain-killing and anti-inflammatory properties. Both the bark and leaves have been found to have antiseptic actions.
  • An infusion of the leaves is used for urethral infections, and the dried and pulverized or even the fresh inner bark is applied to oozing ulcers. The tree also has UV absorbing properties and could be utilized as a cheap sunscreen.

  •   Studies have found that the stem bark can lower blood sugar levels and so the traditional use of the bark for diabetes sufferers seems to have been borne out. (Journal of Phytotherapy Research
  • Extracts of the bark, leaves and roots have also been used to combat malaria and HIV and have antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
Indian Tulip Tree Medicinal Uses Thespesia populnea

  • The bitter inner bark of the Indian Tulip tree is used as diuretic and stimulant. Its raw green bark is also chewed as an aphrodisaic. 
  • Its tea is used in the treatment of indigestion, 
  • dysentery, 
  • rheumatism, 
  • coughs and 
  • fevers. 
  • In India its bark was used to treat the skin diseases, and
  •  haemorrhoids. 
  • Its leaves are applied to the inflamed and swollen joints. 
  • It is also used in the treatment of ringworm. 
  • Its roots are used as the tonic. 

Indian Tulip tree is found in the lower dry forests to the wet forests. Deep, rich, well-drained soils of forest coves and lower mountain slopes. It is widely grown in the Eravikulam National Park in India.. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Medicinal Uses of Rauwolfia (Rauwolfia serpentina)

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 260-365

Other Names










INDIAN SNAKEROOT


Description

More like a shrub than a tree in most places where it grows in India, rauwolfia produces extracts in its roots that have for centuries been used to treat nervous disorders. The extract also provides an antidote for snake- bites and insect stings. In the 20th century it was discovered that powdered rauwolfia root as a clinical medicinal ingredient would treat hypertension and mental disorders. Many drugs that make up tranquilizers have their origin in rauwolfia root.

Medicinal Uses

Indian snakeroot is used for 
  • mild high blood pressure,
  •  nervousness, 
  • trouble sleeping(insomnia), and 
  • mental disorders such as 
  • agitated psychosis and insanity. 
  • Indian snakeroot is also used for snake and reptile bites,
  •  fever, 
  • constipation, 
  • feverish intestinal diseases, 
  • liver ailments, 
  • achy joints (rheumatism), 
  • fluid retention (edema),
  • epilepsy, and 
  • as a tonic for general debilities.

One of the chemicals in Indian snakeroot is the same as a prescription drug calledreserpine. Reserpine is used to treat 

  • mild to moderate hypertension, s
  • chizophrenia, and 
  • some symptoms of poor circulation.
  • Root is a valuable remedy for dysentery and painful affections of bowel.
  • Juice of leaves is instilled in eyes as a remedy for the opacities of cornea.


How does it work?

Indian snakeroot contains chemicals such as reserpine that decrease heart rate and blood pressure.
History
  • It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name shégēn mù.
  • The extract of the plant has also been used for millennia in India – Alexander the Great administered this plant to cure his general Ptolemy I Soter of a poisoned arrow.
  •  It was reported that Mahatma Gandhi took it as a tranquilizer during his lifetime.
  •  It has been used for millennia to treat insect stings and the bites of venomous reptiles. 

Habitat: Moist forests shady places near rain-forest.
Status: The natural reserves of this plant are declining, especially after reports of its medicinal properties appeared in literatures. International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has kept this plant under endangered status.
Distribution: The snake-weed genus includes about 50 species, this has fairly wide area of distribution, including the tropical part of the Himalayas, the Indian peninsula, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Indonesia.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

White Willow Bark and Leaves - Natural Pain Relief

by Liliana Usvat
Blog 212 -365

History


The use of willow bark dates back thousands of years, to the time of Hippocrates (400 BC) when patients were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation.

Willow bark has been used throughout the centuries in China and Europe, and continues to be used today for the treatment of pain (particularly low back pain and osteoarthritis), headache, and inflammatory conditions, such as bursitis and tendinitis.

Hippocrates, Galen, Pliny the Elder and others knew willow bark could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers. It has long been used in Europe and China for the treatment of these conditions.This remedy is also mentioned in texts from ancient Egypt, Sumer, and Assyria.
 
The Reverend Edmund Stone, a vicar from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, England, noted in 1763 that willow bark was effective in reducing a fever. The bark is often macerated in ethanol to produce a tincture.

In an article published in 1652, Nicholas Culpeper had suggested that physicians use the burnt residues of the white willow bark blended with vinegar to remove warts, corns as well as unnecessary flesh from the body.

How to Use
 
White Willow Bark: A Natural Alternative to Aspirin for Pain Relief

WHITE WILLOW tea- Natural Pain Relief 15-20 cups White Willow bark has been used for many many years as a pain reliever. Willow contains glucoside.
 
White willow bark contains salicylic acid that is also found in aspirin. It is recommended that one drink 3 to 4 cups of this tea to benefit from its use. Although the tea may be slower acting than aspirin, it has longer lasting effects.

Start by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of white willow bark to 8 ounces of water.
 

Allow this to boil for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once it has boiled, turn off the heat and allow it to steep between 20 and 30 minutes. You will notice the herbs drop down to the bottom of the pan and the tea is taking on a beautiful red color.
 
Add cinnamon and honey to your steeped white willow bark for a better tasting tea.

Once the bark is done steeping, strain the bark out and compost it. 

Common Name
White Willow

Other Known Names
Cartkins Willow, European Willow, Pussywillow, Willow, Withe Withy
Botanical Name
Salix alba

Whats it look like
Willows range in size from the statuesque weeping willow tree to plants barely 2 inches high. The many varieties of willow—close to 500—are now considered interchangeable for medicinal use. Its bark has a spicy scent and a bitter flavor.

What part of the plant is used
Bark, leaves
Properties
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Expectorant
  • Antiseptic
  • Analgesic
  • Astringent
Uses

  • Bronchitis
  • Coughs
  • Headaches
  • Fevers
  • Rheumatism
  • Gout
  • Diarrhea
  • Dysentery
  • Neuralgia
  • Gastrointestinal distress
  • Pain
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Flu
  • Tendonitis
  • Bursitis
Cautions-Adverse Reactions-Side Effects
Do not take if you have a bleeding disorder


Headache
Willow bark has been shown to relieve headaches. There is some evidence that it is less likely to cause gastrointestinal side effects than other pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil) and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, do.

Low back pain
Willow bark appears to be effective for back pain. People who received higher doses of willow bark (240 mg salicin) had more significant pain relief than those who received low doses (120 mg salicin).

Hot Flashes and sweating

White willow is also useful for women as the herb helps in lowering night sweating and hot flashes through menopause period.

Dosage and Administration Adult

General dosing guidelines for willow bark are as follows:
  • Dried herb (used to make tea): boil 1 - 2 tsp of dried bark in 8 oz of water and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes; let steep for ½ hour; drink 3 - 4 cups daily.
  • Powdered herb or liquid: 60 - 240 mg of standardized salicin per day;
  • Tincture (1:5, 30% alcohol): 4 - 6 mL 3 times per day. 
Leaves
INFUSION - infusions prepared from white willow leaves can be consumed following meals with a view to cure digestive problems as well as enhance the digestive process.

Chase-away-your-pain aperitif

  • 3 cups (750 ml) Sweet white wine (Alsatian Muscat, Muscadet)
  • 3 T (50 g) Willow bark, dried and crushed
Macerate month. Strain. Drink 2 T (30 ml) during attacks.

Habitat and cultivation

Basically indigenous to European countries, white willow is now found abundantly in North America as well as in Asia.

The tree best thrives in humid areas like riverbanks and can be grown from partially matured cuttings during the summer or from hard wood cuttings during the winter.

 Normally, the white willow trees are often pollarded and the bark of the tree is shredded during spring from branches of trees that are two to five years old.





Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Slippery Elm has Been Used as Herbal Remedy by Native Americans

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 161 -365



The slippery elm is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and central United States where it is found mostly in the Appalachian Mountains. Its name refers to the slippery consistency the inner bark assumes when it is chewed or mixed with water. Slippery elm inner bark has been used historically as a demulcent, emollient, nutritive, astringent, anti-tussive, and vulnerary. It is included as one of four primary ingredients in the herbal cancer remedy, Essiac, and in a number of Essiac-like products such as Flor-Essence.

Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The genus first appeared in the Miocene geological period about 20 million years ago, originating in what is now central Asia.
 
During the 18th and 19th centuries, elm cultivars enjoyed much popularity as ornamentals in Europe by virtue of their rapid growth and variety of foliage and forms

Viticulture


The Romans, and more recently the Italians, used to plant elms in vineyards as supports for vines. Lopped at three metres, the elms' quick growth, twiggy lateral branches, light shade and root-suckering made them ideal trees for this purpose.
 
Ovid in his Amores characterizes the elm as "loving the vine": ulmus amat vitem, vitis non deserit ulmum (:the elm loves the vine, the vine does not desert the elm) and the ancients spoke of the "marriage" between elm and vine.

Medicinal products

Slippery Elm has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy by Native Americans. The inner bark of the slippery elm tree is used medicinally, both internally and topically. Internally, it has been used to treat sore throats and diarrhea, and externally, slippery elm has been used to treat various inflammatory skin problems like wounds, boils, ulcers, and burns.
 
The mucilaginous inner bark of the Slippery Elm Ulmus rubra has long been used as a demulcent.

A demulcent (derived from the Latin: demulcere "caress") is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. Demulcents are sometimes referred to as mucoprotective agents. Demulcents such as pectin, glycerin, honey, and syrup are common ingredients in cough mixtures. These demulcents will coat the throat and relieve the irritation causing the cough. They can be used to treat any type of cough, but are particularly useful to treat dry coughs. Some demulcents may not be suitable for diabetics as they are based on sugar
 
Slippery elm is a tree. The inner bark (not the whole bark) is used as medicine.

People take slippery elm for coughs, sore throat, colic, diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bladder and urinary tract infections, syphilis, herpes, and for expelling tapeworms. It is also used for protecting against stomach and duodenal ulcers, for colitis, diverticulitis, GI inflammation, and too much stomach acid. Slippery elm is also taken by mouth to cause an abortion.

Slippery elm is applied to the skin for wounds, burns, gout, rheumatism, cold sores, boils, abscesses, ulcers, toothaches, sore throat, and as a lubricant to ease labor.

In manufacturing, slippery elm is used in some baby foods and adult nutritionals, and in some oral lozenges used for soothing throat pain.

The late Euell Gibbons recommended pouring a pint of boiling water over an ounce of the coarsely ground inner bark, allowing the mixture to cool, and then adding the juice of one-half lemon and enough honey to sweeten the brew to taste. Our pioneer forebears treated colds with such a "lemonade" and it was especially recommended for feverish patients.

The outer bark of the slippery elm is reddish brown, deeply furrowed, and quite rough. It can be harvested any time of the year but peels from the tree most easily in the spring (when the sap is running). The juicy inner bark may then be pulled from the outer with little difficulty. Spread the cambium bark out on newspapers in a warm, dry room. Once it has dried, it may be stored (in sealed glass jars) and ground for use as desired.

The generally advised dosage of slippery elm is to take between 4 and 10 grams of the dried inner bark in capsule form three to four times a day.  You can also make a tea by boiling teaspoons-full of loose bark in a cup of water for ten to fifteen minutes, cooled before drinking.  Three to four cups of this tea can be drunk per day.  To use externally, mix coarse powdered bark with boiling water to make a poultice. - See more at: http://happyherbcompany.com/slippery-elm#sthash.mLjRrNGH.dpuf

The generally advised dosage of slippery elm is to take between 4 and 10 grams of the dried inner bark in capsule form three to four times a day.  You can also make a tea by boiling teaspoons-full of loose bark in a cup of water for ten to fifteen minutes, cooled before drinking.  Three to four cups of this tea can be drunk per day.  To use externally, mix coarse powdered bark with boiling water to make a poultice. - See more at: http://happyherbcompany.com/slippery-elm#sthash.mLjRrNGH.dpuf

How does it work?

Slippery elm contains chemicals that can help soothe sore throats. It can also cause mucous secretion which might be helpful for stomach and intestinal problems.
 
 There are no known side effects or safety issues with this plant.

Barks can be harvested with very little damage to a tree, and can even improve the health of a tree, much as pruning does. The most ecological way to harvest bark is to prune smaller branches from the tree using pruning shears or a small pruning saw.  It doesn't take many branches to supply a house with all it is needed for a year.  If larger quantities are needed  might consider taking a whole sapling if the tree grows in abundance and is in a crowded stand already.

To remove the bark from the branches, use the hand pruners to snip off any side branches and spurs.    Then  take a sharp paring knife or pocketknife and peel the bark in thin strips or shavings, much like peeling a carrot.  Be sure to cut deeply enough to get the inner bark, which will be slightly wet and also is usually green in color.  The different layers are easy to distinguish when you are peeling the branches. 

To peel the barks is to lay the branch flat on your cutting surface, and then take the knife and hold it perpendicularly (right angle) to the branch.  Then with a strong scraping motion, scrape back and forth vigorously.  This shreds the bark while it peels it and results in very nice finished product, no further need for cutting.  The shredding breaks up the fibers nicely, which is very helpful when you make medicinal preparations later.

Food

When dried and ground into a coarse meal, the sweetly fragrant and creamy white or pinkish inner bark of the slippery elm can be boiled into a porridge that looks and tastes very much like oatmeal. And, surprisingly enough, modern nutritionists have discovered that, when so prepared, the bark does indeed possess a food value about equal to that of oatmeal.
 
Slippery elm's inner bark, on the other hand, does have its other uses too. When ground to a fine powder, it makes a good extender for ordinary flour and can be included that way in a wide variety of recipes. And back before today's sugar-laden treats were so widely available, small boys were fond of stripping off pieces of this cambium bark and chewing it. Such a "chaw" makes a sweet-flavored, long-lasting chewing gum that both satisfies thirst and supplies a certain amount of nourishment.

History

It is recorded that, during their bitter winter at Valley Forge, George Washington's ragtag Revolutionary War soldiers lived through one 12-day period on little more than slippery elm porridge. And no one, of course, knows how many starving pioneer families scraped through their first winters on the American continent thanks to the same survival rations.




 

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Sacred Trees - Banyan Trees- Wish Fulfilling Tree - Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 146-365




This is a  Banyan tree. The interesting thing about these trees is that the roots acutally grow down from the branches. Once they hit the ground, they grow into trunks.

As these roots grow down from the branches and the tree expands, the new roots become known as “accessory trunks”. In Miami, where there are often hurricanes, the banyan trees are the only trees that don’t blow over in the strong winds.  The many roots and accessory trunks make them strong and able to withstand even Category 4 hurricanes.


Native to India many Banyan tree seedlings were imported to south Florida in the late 1800's. These trees can grow up to 100 feet in height (30.5 meters) and live approximately 1,000 years.

A Banyan (also Banian) is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte (a plant growing on another plant) when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan" often refers specifically to the Indian banyan or Ficus benghalensis, which is the national tree of the Republic of India, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a characteristic life cycle, and systematically to refer to the subgenus Urostigma.


Banyan tree is a  member of the ficus family.

The prop roots form columns over time, indistinguishable from the main trunk. The main trunk can even die leaving behind the columns which keep growing outward.

Should a “tree” be thought of only as a single organism? Especially in the tropics, trees can literally constitute an entire city as they support a network of other plants and animals. When trees provide favorable conditions for life by other species, they are considered “keystone” species. Yet trees are often dependent on other species. Many trees could not live without other cooperative species with which they have relations, usually mutually advantageous ones. 
 
Nature is full of evolutionary co-dependencies in which particular tree species requires one particular pollinator to reproduce (for example, Ficus species). Many trees are dependent on animals for seed dispersal. Oaks and pines are known to be particularly dependent on mycorrhizae, a soil-borne fungi that significantly increases the absorptive area and efficiency of a tree's roots. 

A single fungal mycelium may extend for acres and also may interact with many plants of different species. Are these linked organisms a tree or many trees? Species evolution can certainly be described as a strange mix of collaborations as well as competitions! 

Etymology
 
The name was originally given to F. benghalensis and comes from India where early travellers observed that the shade of the tree was frequented by banias or Indian traders.
In the Gujarati language, banya means "grocer/merchant," not "tree."

Religion and mythology

It is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. Krishna is said to have achieved enlightenment under one, and Shiva, in his role of Universal teacher, Dakshinamurti, sat under a bohar tree to enlighten the sages who had come to hear his teachings. 

It is India’s national symbol, symbolizing India’s unity through diversity (as the tree has several trunks and many aerial roots).
 
In Hinduism, the leaf of the Banyan tree is said to be the resting place for the god Krishna. In the Bhagavat Gita Krishna said "There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas." 

The Banyan tree is also a symbol of spiritual knowledge. In the Pralaya it is written that only Krishna survived the great Cosmic Flood, and he is depicted sucking his toe, while floating over the flood waters on a banyan leaf in many Indian Tajore paintings.
 
 In Hindu mythology it is known as the ‘wish fulfilling tree’. Its ever expanding branches represent eternal life

Here the material world is described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below.

We have experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in the water are upside down.

The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there is substance and reality.

In many stories of Philippine Mythology, the banyan, (locally known as balete or balite) is said to be home to a variety of spirits (diwata and engkanto) and demon-like creatures (among the Visayans, specifically, the dili ingon nato, meaning "those not like us"). Maligno (Evil spirits, from Spanish for 'malign') associated with it include the kapre (a giant), duwende (dwarves), and the tikbalang (a creature whose top half is a horse and whose bottom half is human).


 Medicinal Uses

The banyan is sacred to the Hindus, and plays a great part in their ceremonies. The leaves are made into plates. 
 
The wood yields an inferior rubber and is used in medicine to 
  • be applied externally to relieve pain, 
  • bruises and 
  • rheumatism. 
An infusion of the bark is regarded as a powerful tonic and poultice. 
 
  • The health benefits and the therapeutic uses of the banyan tree include its effectiveness in curing dysentery and chronic diarrhea. In this treatment, the leaf buds of the banyan tree are soaked in water overnight and then consumed the next morning. In fact the medicinal benefits of the banyan tree are also found in its latex which is also used to treat dysentery and diarrhea.
  • Health benefits of the banyan tree also result in the treatment of female sterility. In this treatment the roots of the banyan tree should be dried  and then ground to a fine powder  which should then be mixed with five times the quantity of milk and consumed for three nights consecutively after every menstruation cycle till the woman conceives
  • The health benefits of the banyan tree also extend to teeth disorders. It has been observed that cleaning the teeth using the aerial roots of the banyan tree is known to help in preventing various teeth disorders. The astringent properties of the roots of the banyan tree tends to cleanse as well as strengthen the gums and the teeth.
  • The latex obtained from the bark of the banyan tree is also known to be used locally as a natural treatment for lumbago and rheumatic pain. The latex is also used locally to treat skin disorders such as ulcers, bruises and sores.
  • For diabetes, soak overnight, 1 sq. inch of the bark of the tree in a glass of water and drink the infusion the next morning.   
  • For eczema, char the tender leaf-buds in hot ashes and dissolve the same in gingelly oil for application on the affected areas.
  • For gum problems and pyorrhea, chew crushed prop roots, hold in mouth for a while and then rinse the  mouth with lukewarm water.
  •   Boil 1-3 sq. inches of the bark of the tree in 2 cups of water for 5-10 minutes. Cool and use this decoction for gargling. Repeat several times a day. This helps relieve bad breath and oral ulcers.
  •  For leucorrhea, boil 1-3 tablespoons of the powdered dry bark of the fig tree and the banyan tree in 1-2 litres of water till it is reduced to1/2 litre. Strain and when lukewarm, douche the vagina. Repeat several times a day.
  • For pimples or acne, make a fine paste of the prop roots and apply on the affected parts. Repeat as needed.
  •  To cure skin diseases and venereal diseases, boil 3-5 tablespoons of the bark in 4-5cups water till the volume is reduced to 1 cup. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and drink. Use 2 or 3 times a week.
  • Apply the latex externally on the affected parts in cases of bruises, hemorrhoids, swellings, lumbago and rheumatism.
  • For rashes, apply a paste of the leaves on the affected areas.
The fruit is eaten. The wood is of little value but is durable under water. 

Propagation

Widely distributed in India, the tree may be propagated by seeds and cuttings. The seeds should be sown as soon as they ripen, preferably in pots in fine leaf mould mixture with powdered charcoal. Large cuttings should be put down at the commencement of the monsoon.