Pushkarmool {Inula racemosa}
Pushkarmool or Indian elecampane or poharkarmul
Ayurveda Characteristic and Uses
- Effect on doshas – Balances Vata and Kapha
- Taste – bitter, pungent
- Energetics – Heating
- Main Traditional Action: Tonic for respiratory tract and heart
- Other Traditional Uses: Diuretic, reduces ama, helps inswelling and pain, blood purifier, antiseptic, carminative, stomachic, expectorant, bronchodilator, uterine stimulant, anaemia, and for female reproductive system disorders.
Modern Research
Pushkarmool and its components have been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, hypoglycaemic, anticancer, anti-asthmatic, and antidiabetic effects. It has also been shown to have anti-atherogenic effects validating the cardioprotective and anti-obesity claims in traditional medicine. Further studies its role in improving insulin resistance and effects that suggest is it has adrenergic beta-blocking activity.