JAIPHAL
Englsih : Nutmeg/Mace
Urdu : Jaiphal/Javatri
Telugu : Jajikaya
Description :
It is a tall,glabrous and aromatic tree, usually 9-12 m or sometimes 20m with greyish black bark,5-12.5 cm long,elliptic or oblong,lanceolate,pale yellow brown leaves, creamy yellow and fragrant flowers and broadly pyriform or globose 4-5 cm long,hanging, reddish,yellowish fruit,splitting in to 2 halves at maturity, disclosing the scarlet aril or mace surrounding the nutmeg.Seed is broadly ovoid,arillate with a shell-like purplish brown testa. It has a strong aromatic odour and a pungent aromatic taste.Aril is red, flesy and laciniate. It resembles nutmeg in odour and taste.
Action and Uses:
Nutmeg is stimulant, carminative,stomachic,appetizer,astrigent,exhillarent and aphrodisiac. It is included in the compositions of tonic and eleuturaies to be used in general debility,neurasthenia,paralysis,rheumatism,scitica and sexual weakness. It is very useful in nausea, vomiting
hiccough, stomach-ache, cold stomach, flatulence and billary diarrohoea. Excessive does have narcotic effect.
Mace is also used like nutmeg. It is also chewed for masking foul breath. It is included in external medicine e.g. In Qairuti and tila khas.
Ibn Sina’s View:
It produces much heat in the body. It is constipating and tonic for liver,spleen and stomach. It is
also diuretic and useful in dysurea and rheumatic pains. It inhibits vomiting. It has good flavour.