Herb · Asia
Night jasmine
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
Traditionally attributed effects: promotes bile, expels worms, laxative, fever-reducing, anti-inflammatory.
Safety notes
Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Preparation
Tea 28–56 ml; fresh leaf juice with honey or sugar; seed powder as a paste.
Use in traditions
Described in the Ayurvedic materia medica. Sanskrit name: Parijata. The fragrant flowers with an orange tube open in the evening and fall at sunrise, which explains the name 'tree of sorrow'. In Bengal the flowers are used at the Durga Puja festival and to dye saffron-yellow. The leaf is used for fever and sciatica.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Promotes bile, expels worms, laxative, fever-reducing, anti-inflammatory; safe laxative for infants, for chronic and bilious fever, intestinal worms in children, rheumatism and stubborn sciatica, antidote for reptile bites, scurvy and scalp conditions.
Preparation and amount
Tea 28–56 ml; fresh leaf juice with honey or sugar; seed powder as a paste.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)Compress, poultice and pasteSyrup, honey and oxymelPowder and kitchen