Salvadora persica (pilu)

Brihat Trayi texts as well as the Nighantu  works have quoted PIlu several times. It is used for Nasya karma mainly.

After the development of Rasa sastra, it is described that PIlu is one of the sources of NaVasara.

Botanical Description – Salvadora persica is an evergreen shrub or small tree to 6-7 m; main trunk erect or trailing with profusely branched, wide crown of crooked, straggling and drooping branches; young branches green in colour; bark slightly rough, greyish-brown on main stem, paler elsewhere. Leaves oblong-elliptic to almost circular, 3 x 7 cm, light to dark green, rather fleshy, sometimes with wartlike glandular dots and dense, rather loose hairs; apex broadly tapering to rounded, sharp-tipped; base broadly tapering; margin entire; petiole up to 10 mm long; leaves in opposite pairs. Flowers greenish to yellowish, very small, in loose, slender-branched axillary or terminal panicles, up to 10 cm long. Fruit spherical, fleshy, 5-10 mm in diameter, pink to scarlet when mature, single seeded; seeds turn from pink to purple-red and are semi-transparent when mature.

Major Chemical Constituents– Tri ighantuy (root bark); glucotropaeolin (leaves & stem); minfiensine, normavacurine (whole plant).

Part Used– Fruit, seed, root bark, leaf.

Dosage– Seed powder 1-3g; decoction 50-100 ml.