Psoralea corylifolia Linn.
Family : Leguminosae
English : Babchi
Hindi : Bavchi
Gujarati : Bavachi
Sanskrit : Bakuchi
Part used : Seed
Botanical Description: An erect herbaceous annual, 60-120cm high with grooved and gland dotted stems and branches; leaves simple, broadly elliptic, round and mucronate at the apex, clothed with white hair on both surfaces, covered with numerous black dots, main nerves 5, springing from the base; flowers blue in dense, axillary, 10-30 flowered racemes; fruit pods 5mm long, subglobose, slightly compressed closely pitted, black, beaked without haor. Seeds oblong flattened dark brown with an agreeable aromatic odour and tase. Flowering and fruiting from September to March.
It occurs throughout India.
Ayurvedic Properties and Uses :
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Ruksa
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Grahi, Slesmasrapittanut, Vranapaha, Hrdya.
Modern Pharmacological Action: Roots are useful in dental caries, Leaves are good for diarrhoea. Fruits are laxative, aphrodisiac, and are used for the treatment of leucoderma, leprosy, psoriasis and inflammatory diseases of the skin. The essential oil of fruits shows irritant effect on the skin and mucous membrane. It has distinct stimulatory action on voluntary muscles in high dilutions. Bakuchiol, one of the major constituents has been shown to possess a prominent cytotoxic activity. The anthelmintic activity of Psoralea corylifolia seeds is clinically proved on flatworms and roundworms. Antitumor activity of psoralen, major constituent of Psoralea corylifolia on Mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line (MEC) has been reported.
