WHAT IS SAFED MUSLI? CHLOROPHYTUM BORIVILIANUM: A AMAZING MEDICAL HERB

SAFED MUSLI, CHLOROPHYTUM BORIVILIANUM, ASPARAGUS ADSCENDENS

Safed Musli or to give it its official name, Chlorophytum borivilianum has been used in Ayurvedic medicine on the Indian subcontinent for centuries. Its roots are used as a demulcent, a stimulant, diaphoretic, and to help milk production in breast-feeding mothers. They are given balls of the root to chew before and after the birth, so that their milk production will increase. It’s also given to cows for the same purpose.

It is used to cure general debility, in the treatment for diarrhoea and dysentery and as a vitalizer for the whole body. The root powder is fried in ghee (clarified butter) and chewed to get rid of mouth and throat infections. It is also used as a remedy for arthritis and diabetes. It is often an ingredient in paan in India and Pakistan.

It is used as an Allopathic, which means that a disease is treated with remedies which produce effects differing from those produced by the disease, for example antibiotics do this. The word come from the Greek, allos meaning different or other, and pathos, meaning suffering. The term allopathic or allopath was first used by the man who is regarded as the founding father of homeopathic medicine, Samuel Hahnemann.

It is also given to boost the immune system and modern medical research has borne out this use of it. Chlorophytum borivilianum has immuno-stimulating properties and it has been proved that increases rats’ sperm count after 60 days of being given regular doses of it. The researchers end their discussion with these words “roots of Chlorophytum borivilianum can be useful in the treatment of certain forms of sexual inadequacies, such as premature ejaculation and oligosperma” (R. Kenjale et al 2008 in Phytotherapy Research Vol 22(6)). In other words, rats have benefited from this plant and shown increased sexual activity and increased libido as well as having a “significantly” higher sperm increase. It is believed that this is the Natural Viagra and is now being cultivated on a much larger scale than before so that it can be exported for the benefit of men all around the world. It has been used as a tonic for sexual health by Indians or centuries and they believe it is an aphrodisiac for both sexes.

This plant also has antimicrobial properties, although these are not as efficient as those of the kikar tree, according to other research carried out by Rajesh Dabur et al.

The plant is a rich source of minerals, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, steroids and polysaccharides.

It clearly has amazing medical properties and modern medical research is showing once again that the old herbalists knew a thing or two about health giving plants.