Advisory Services

Indian Water Chestnut

 

BOTANICAL NAME:

  • Trapa bispinosa

FAMILY:

  • Onagraceae

SYNONYM(S):

  • Trapa natans
  • Trapa quandnispinosa

URDU NAME:

  • Singhara

REGIONAL NAME:

  • Bengali: Paniphal
  • Pashto: Singhara
  • Sanskrit: Shningataka
  • Sindhi: Shiningata
  • Punjabi: Singhara
  • Chinese: Chithue

UNANI/TIBBI NAME:

  • Singhara

ENGLISH NAME:

  • Indian water chestnut

HABITAT:

  • It is found in Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P. growing in ponds lakes and stagnant water.

DESCRIPTION:

  • An aquatic plant
  • Stems submerged in the water with numerous opposite pains of green floating roots.
  • Leaves alternate, rhomboid with triangular apex, base entire upper pant serrate, upper surface shiny, dark green with brown specks, lower reddish-purple velvety.
  • Flowers with 4 petals, white in colors, few axillary, solitary.
  • Fruit angular, ovoid, 2.5-5cm in breadth and length, outer skin black with white nut inside, has short-conical projection n the centre and apex, and a spinous horn at each side. 

PART USED:

  • Fruit

TASTE:

  • Sweetish

TEMPERAMENT:

  • Fresh-cold, moist
  • Dried -cold, dry

PERIOD OF OCCURRENCE:

  • Flowers in September

PROCEDURE & TIME OF COLLECTION:

  • Fruiting occurs around December

CONSTITUENTS:

  • Starch
  • Manganese
  • Calcium
  • Phosphorus
  • Iron
  • Copper
  • Magnesium
  • Sodium
  • Potassium
  • Iodine
  • Thiamine
  • Riboflavin
  • Nicotinic acid
  • Vitamins A & C

SUBSTITUTES:

  • Nill

ACTIONS AND USES IN UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE:

Pharmacological action:

  • Aphrodisiac
  • Appetizer
  • Antipyretic
  • Refrigerant

Therapeutic uses:

  • Is useful in chronic fevers, diarrhea, biliousness

DOSES:

  • 5-10 g

CORRECTIVES:

  • Salt
  • Filfil Siyah/black pepper

IMPORTANT UNANI FORMULATIONS:

  • Majun ardkhurma
  • Halwa supari pak
  • Sufuf kalan
  • Sufuf muallif
  • Majum juryan khas

ASTROLOGY:

  • Moon