Abstract

CHAKRAMARDA (CASSIA TORA LINN.) – A LITERATURE REVIEW

Vinayak S. Patil*, Shreedevi Huddar and Elleri Anup Kumar

ABSTRACT

Chakramarda (English - Ring worm plant, Cassia tora Linn) an annual shrub used for the management of numerous skin diseases such as ringworm, eczema, psoriasis. It is found as a weed throughout India. This plant has been used in several therapeutic formulations in ancient texts of Ayurveda like Charak samhita, Susruta samhita, Ashtang hridaya and also in many Nighantu texts in the treatment of various skin and other diseases. Various parts of this plant i.e., leaves, seeds, root etc. possess medicinal properties. As a food source, Chakramarda is considered a poor man’s food as its leaves are cooked as vegetable. The present article is an effort to gain and explore the information about the plant chakramarda from various Ayurveda texts like Samhitas, Rasa Granthas and Nighantus.

Keywords: Chakramarda, Cassio tora, Ring worm plant, skin disorders etc.