નગોડ

Vitex negundo

Chinese chaste tree भूतवेशी

Native

Commonly known as cut-leaf chaste tree, five-leaved chaste tree, horseshoe vitex, Indian privet.

A large, hardy, aromatic shrub, 2-5 metres tall, known in Sanskrit as Nirgundi, literally 'that which protects the body from disease.' Its square, hairy branches carry palmately compound leaves with 3-5 pointed leaflets, bright green above and velvety grey-white beneath, and small bluish-purple flower clusters that ripen into black berries.

The plant

Habit Shrub

Origin Native

Flowering Winter, Summer, Monsoon

Edible Yes

Growing it

Life it supports

No specific wildlife-relationship data recorded for this species.

The story

A well-known and important element of traditional medicine across India, used under the Sanskrit name Nirgundi.

What it is used for

Nearly the entire plant is used medicinally, though the leaves see the most use.
Warmed fresh leaves, tied as a poultice or used in a steam bath, are a classic home remedy for swollen joints, rheumatism, and muscular sprains.
Leaf extracts work as an expectorant for congestion, chronic cough, asthma, and bronchitis.
Perhaps its most useful everyday trick: burning dried leaves produces smoke that acts as an effective, non-toxic mosquito repellent, and a pillow stuffed with fresh leaves is a traditional rural remedy for headaches and sinus pain.
Beyond medicine, it's valued for preventing soil erosion, reclaiming flood-affected forest land, and building living barriers to conserve soil moisture or support earth and stone embankments.

These uses are documented for information only and are not medical advice. Always verify the species and the plant part before use.

Where it is found

Native to East and South Africa and Asia.

Sources

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