Showing posts with label Sacred Trees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sacred Trees. Show all posts

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.