AMALTAS
English : Purging fistula or cassia /Indian laburnum
Urdu : Amaltas/Mughze amaltas
Telugu : Rela-chettu/Rela-Kayalu
Description :
It is a medium-sized tree with greenish-grey and smooth bark when young, and brown and rough when old and also wiht compound leaves and large shining dark green leaflets. The leaves resemble Jambolana leaves and flowers are bright yellow, in very large hanging bunches. When the flowers are shed,cylindric and long pods are produced which are green when unripe but turn black on ripening and contain seeds immeresed in a black pith known as Maghz-e-Amaltas or cassia pulp.
Action and Uses:
The pulp has dual effects i.e lexative and expectorant. It also has resolvent,demulcent and decongestant actions.
It is beneficially used in chest affections e.g cough,breathlessness and congestion of lungs with constipation.Also used in colitis,congestion of liver , and stomach and intestiness.
It is also used as gargle in swallowing difficulties due to inflammation of the structures of the throat or diptheria and as a plaster,applied on swollen and painful joints.
Ibn sina’ s view:
Maghz khiyar-shanbar is resolovent and lexative.It is used in acute inflammations or viscera especially of throat and applied externally on hard swellings on gout and painful joints.
Its gargle is useful in suffocating affections.It is useful in jaundice and hepatic pain.