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Vilvam-Aegle marmelos

Digestion Enhancer

About the herb, medicinal uses and precautions Common and Botanical Names

The herb Vilvam is known as Indian Bael and has Aegle marmelos as its Botanical name. It belongs to the family Rutaceae. The English names include Bilvadi curna, Bilva, Anu, Bilvapancaka kvatha, Bilvamuladi gutika, etc. The herb is commonly called as Bael, Bengal quince, Golden apple, Bilpatra, Elephant Apple, Maredoo, Stone apple, Quince-apple, etc. Other names include Vilvam in Tamil and Koovalam, Sriphal, Bel, etc in other languages.

About Vilvam

It is a native of India and is found widely in Asia, in countries like Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc. It is called as Sivadruma by the Hindus and is considered as a sacred herb. It is widely found in Indian Siva temples since the herb is considered sacred to Lord Siva, the lord of health. The leaves of the plant are being offered to Gods as part of prayers. The fruits can be eaten either freshly from trees or after drying them. All parts of the herb (leaves, fruits, roots) are used for medicinal purposes. The herb is widely helpful to kapha and vata dosas. It is not suited to pita dosa.

Primary Medicinal Uses:

  • Stomach Related Problems: The fruit is excellent in treating various digestion problems. The fruit is also rich in Vitamin C. Half ripe fruits are taken, the pulp is removed, dried and powdered. It is better to consume 3 to 10 grams 2 to three times per day. The fruit is very effective in curing diseases like constipation, dysentery, diarrhea, worms, peptic ulcer, etc. Many of the companies sell Vilvam drinks as medicines for digestion.
  • Constipation:Vilvam is a powerful laxative. It has the power to clean your intestines by flushing out the excreta. It tones up the intestines. It is good to consume diluted tonic of the Vilvam fruit before going to sleep. Vilvam is already sweet in taste and hence there is no necessity to add sugar.
  • Diarrhoea and Dysentery: The specialty of Vilvam is such that it can be used to cure both constipation and loose motion. It is better to consume concentrated vilvam syrup, about half a tumbler. This will cure your diarrhea.
  • Peptic Ulcer: Those having peptic ulcer can extract the juice from the leaves of the Vilvam tree and consume it. It is better to consume it in the morning. When taken regularly for a few weeks, the ulcers get cured.

Other Medicinal Uses:

  • Conjunctivitis:Fresh juice can be extracted from the leaves and can be applied to the eyes.
  • Fever:Those suffering from fever can consume the decoction of the roots as supplement.
  • Vomit:Those having vomiting sensation can consume the skin of the fruit along with honey.
  • Malaria:The herb has been effective in treating Malaria
  • Healthy Mind:The juice can be given to children very often. They help to keep the mind calm and improve concentration.
    The herb is also useful in treating Asthma, diabetes, Anaemia, typhoid, jaundice, etc

Siddha Medicinal Uses:

Note: Siddha treatment is based on complete physical examination of the patient, Naadi diagnosis, and other diagnostic criteria of the disease. The content given in this article is purely meant for information and education purpose only. Kindly consult a Siddha physician before any sort of self medication.


Exclusive Vilvam:
The famous Bilvashtakam extols the virtues of the vilva leaf and Shiva's love for it. Why is the vilva so revered? By common knowledge, we know that the tree has been held sacred for many millennia and offerings made to Shiva are incomplete without vilva leaves. There are many symbolisms attributed to this leaf: the trifoliate leaves or tripatra are believed to represent various trinities – creation, preservation and destruction; or thethree gunas or qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas; or the three syllables that make up AUM, the primordial sound that resonates Shiva’s essence. The three leaves are also considered to indicate Mahadeva’s three eyes, or the trishul, his emblematic weapon.

That is as far as legend goes. But as life, why is the vilva held so sacred? Sadhguru answers:


Sadhguru:

Why is one leaf more sacred than another? Is it some kind of a prejudice? After all, everything comes from the soil. Both the neem fruit and the mango fruit come from the same soil but they taste very different, isn’t it? How one particular life processes the same soil and how another life processes the same soil is different. What is the difference between a worm and an insect, and yourself and another human being? It is all the same stuff but still what we make out of it is different.
When people are on the spiritual path they are constantly looking for support in every possible waybecause it is unknown terrain. In Indian culture, every little thing that could support you was identified through observation andmeditativeness. They did not leave out even flowers, fruits and leaves. Why is the vilva in particular considered sacred? It has always been said that the vilva is dear to Shiva. What does he care? It’s not that it is dear to Shiva. When we say it is dear to Shiva, we mean that in some way its reverberance is closest to what we refer to as Shiva.
When we say it’s dear to Shiva, we mean that in some way its reverberance is closest to what we refer to as Shiva.
We identified many things like this and only those things are offered because they become your means to get in touch. When you offer the vilva to Shiva, you are not going to leave the leaf with him. You are supposed to take it with you after it is offered because this particular leaf has the highest capability to absorb that reverberance. If you place it on the linga and take it, it has the ability to retain the reverberation for a long period of time. It stays with you. You can try this: offer the vilva leaf, put it in your chest pocket and walk around, it will make a difference for you in terms of your health, wellbeing, mental state – everything.
There are many materials like this which are recognized sacred tools that people use. This is not about gods, this is about you and your ability to access something.