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| Kasni: The Plant of Life (Wild Cherry, Hindba in Arabic and popularly called Bazrullah) Dr. M. Laiq Ali Khan* Kasni is very popular since antiquity as food and medicine in human life. It is also grown in the fields of Berseem for the purpose of feed for animals by the farmers of India. It is cultivated throughout India but especially in the fields of Western and South India. It is wildly grown as well as cultivated in Europe. It is marketed under the name, ‘Syrup of Wild Cherry’ in European markets and is very effective in the treatment of cough for children. Wildly grown Kasni is being used
for respiratory troubles. Green leaves of Kasni is being eaten as salad. The leaves, stem, root and seeds of the
plant are being used as drug in different ailments. Kasni is known as
Hindba in Arabic and popularly called Bazrullah. Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas narrates that
Rasool Allah says: “There is Kasni for you, because no part
of day passes without showering the drops of Paradise water on it.” (Abu
Naim) The same verse is stated by Mohammed Ahmed
Zahbi with reference to Abu Naim as follows “Eat Kasni without shaking
it, because no part of the day is passed without showering the paradise
water on it.” Mohammed Bin Abu Bakr Al-Qayyim quoted
three Hadiths in relation to Hindba. "Eat Kasni and do not shake its leaves because no day is passed without showering on it the water of paradise." "One who ate Kasni and slept, the poison and evil spirit would not affect him". "None of the leaves of Kasni is there--which has not been showered by the paradise water drops". The extract of Kasni leaves, if applied on
scorpion bite, relieves pain and inflammation. It is useful in cataract if
dropped in eyes. The aqueous extract of Kasni roots is a good remedy for
eye troubles. Kasni normalises the temperature, as it
cools the hotness as well as removes the coldness by producing heat in the
body. It relieves the GIT inflammations. It is very much useful for all
digestive problems if taken in vinegar. Crushed leaves of Kasni, if
applied on inflamed parts of the body, relieves the pain and inflammation.
It removes the obstructions of liver and gall bladder. It is highly useful
in jaundice and the effects are more fortified if given with dates and
Razyanaj. If olive oil is mixed in the extract of the leaves of Kasni it
is very much useful in all cases of poisoning. The leaves of Kasni remove constipation and
if chewed, it relieves mouth bleeding. It is useful in all types of
coughs, indigestion and liver disorders. It relieves diarrhoea and
dysentery, it becomes more effective if taken with saunf and
tukhm-e-kasoos. It relieves visceral inflammation, hence is
very much effective in liver and kidney inflammations. Moreover, it cleans
nasal passages and expels stones and removes the obstructions. The
headache produced due to hot climate is quite relieved by the application
of its leaves with vinegar and sandal on forehead. The same combination is
effective in Urticaria and prickly heat. The gargling with Kasni leaves decoction
with salt is useful in sore throat and mouth ulcers. The decoction of
Kasni seeds, sandal and sounf with sharbat e banafsha is highly effective
against insomnia. German chemists in 1982 extracted an active
principle from Kasni flowers, Cichorin, a Glucoside. The ashes of the
plant contain more potassium and less quantity of sodium, calcium,
phosphorus, aluminium chloride, carbonate and silicon. And oil is also
extracted from the plant which is non-volatile in nature. This oil
contains the Palmatic, Oleic, Stearic and Linoleic acids. The roots of the
plants contain Tartaric acid, Mannite and Stearin. Besides this, Betaine
and Cholin are also found. The Inulin found in the roots is converted into Inulide tructose after sometime. This phenomenon shows the presence of enzymes in the Kasni plant. Although, it contains bitter substances and mucilage, it has fructose as well. (* Director, Shah Faisal Institute of Hadith & Medical Sciences, Kasganj - 207123 ,UP) |