Tagar Herb in Ayurveda and Its Health Benefits

What Is Tagar In Ayurveda?

Tagar is a hairy perennial herb with a long history of traditional medicines uses. It has an important place in most of the Ayurvedic scriptures. The botanical name of Tagar is Valeriana wallichii, which belongs to Valerianeaceae family.

Traditionally, it is known with various names like Nat (bended), Vakr (irregular shape), KutilNahush, Tagarmula, Sugandhbala, Mushakbala, Asarun and in English, it is commonly known as Indian valerian.The Tagar is leafy, slightly hairy perennial herb, which attains height upto 40-45cm and grows in temperate zones of Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan.

The leaves are sometimes pinnate and are 2.5-7 cm long. The flowers are unisexual and white or slightly pinkish in color. There are two classical varieties of Tagara mentioned in Nighantus Tagara and Pinda Tagara.Different Properties Of TagarAncient ayurvedic Acharya’s have cited Tagar for it’s different properties, some of them have described it as…

  • Chaksusya- beneficial for the eyes
  • Sirsa dosaghna- alleviates the diseases of the head
  • Mutrajanan- diuretic
  • vishaghna–anti-toxin
  • Vedanasthapana-analgesic
  • Aksepahara-anticonvulsant
  • Dipana-appetizer
  • Hridaya-cardio tonic
  • Yakrduttejaka-hepatoprotective
  • Kaphaghna–mucolytic
  • Shwashara-bronchodilator
  • Balya- tonic
  • Kusta–antileprotic
  • Jwaragna- anti pyretic
  • Bhutapasmara nasan-a remedy for epilepsy and hysteria and also averts the evil powers

                                The great sage Charka has categorized Tagara as sitaprasamana- relieves cold sensation of the skin.The roots of plant contains Valerianic acid and Valepotriates (a derivative of iridoid or monoterpene), which has sedative and tranquilizer effect due to which it is especially noted for people particularly suffering from stress, anxiety, over strain and nervous disorders.
                                Valerian is a wonderful natural sedative that has been shown results to encourage sleep, improve sleep quality, to sooth your mind and reduce blood pressure. It gives you relief from stress and person becomes more relaxed and happy.

                                 

                                Health Benefits of Tagar

                                • Wound Healing: Tagara is a well-known and frequently used medicinal herb that has a proven history of efficacy; it can be used both internally and externally. Externally it is applied in wounds for proper healing

                                • Joint Pain: It works well in arthritis, rheumatic disorders and gout. It can be used in the form of paste to treat swellings and pain in rheumatic joints. It relaxes over contracted muscles so is helpful for shoulder and neck tensions as well

                                • Headache: It can also be used as an ointment for headache, chest and shoulder pain of yakshma patient, prepared from satpuspha (Anethum sowa), yasti (Glycyrrhiza gabra Linn), kushta (Saussura lappa Linn), tagar and chandana (Santalum album Linn)

                                • Anitspasmodic: The herb is also known as to have antispasmodic action due to which it is used to treat mild tremors, epilepsy, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, it can also be used to treat milder disorders, such as cases of gastro-intestinal spasms and minor peripheral muscular spasms

                                • Sleeping Disorder: Tagar is most commonly used for treating sleeping disorders, especially the inability to sleep (insomnia). It acts as a sedative and sleep-promoting agent that is often used as a milder alternative for stronger synthetic sedatives, such as benzodiazepines, in the treatment of nervous and anxiety-induced sleep disturbances. The Valerenic acid present in roots of Tagar inhibit enzyme system responsible for the central catabolism of GABA, increasing GABA concentration and decreasing CNS activities leading to have sedative effect on patients

                                • Anti-Anxiety: Tagar is useful in treating anxiety and for almost any stress-related condition. In general, it has a calming effect on the mind and helps body to relax. It assists in discharging toxins and acts directly on the nerve channels

                                • Nervine Tonic: Tagar has also became known as a nervine tonic as it calms the nervous system while also acting as a tonic.

                                • It is proved wonderfully effective in treating conditions related to nervous disorders including nervous unrest and hysterical states

                                • Digestive: Tagar has a bitter flavor and its bitters gunas havebeen used to enhance appetite and digestion. The carminative and bitter properties assist in stimulating the appetite and treat indigestion and few other digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea and digestive ulcers

                                • Diuretic: Tagar has been categorized as mutrajanan(diuretic) in ancient text. As it is diuretic, hence, beneficial in dysuria

                                Other Benefits Of Tagar: Tagar treats kapha imbalances in our body and is used as a natural remedy for treating asthma, whooping cough and certain other respiratory infections.

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