3 Top Medicinal Uses Of Rhinacanthus Nasutus | Nagamalli | Snake Jasmine

Nagamalli plant whose botanical name is Rhinacanthus Nusutus is an amazing plant with wonderful medicinal uses and health benefits. Every part of this wonderful plant including leaves and roots are used extensively as a medicine and in my humble opinion everyone should get to know this amazing plant.

Nagamalli is especially known for treating snake bites. Nagamalli is not only an antidote to poison bites, it also treats skin infections very well. I was really amazed when I came to know about the list of skin conditions this unassuming plant treats, it is used for treating psoriasis, eczema, dhobi’s itch, abscess, eczema and prickly heat!

Nagamalli Plant Botanical & Common Names:

The botanical name of snake jasmine is Rhinacanthus Nasutus. It is quite common and famous in Sri Lanka and it is called aniththa in Sinhala. This plant commonly known as snake jasmine | white crane flower is called Nagamalli in Tamil, Jupani in Hindi, Nagamulla in Malayalam and Yuthikaparani in Sanskrit. The word naga denotes snake in Sanskrit and it is a plant that is well known for treating snake bite.

Nagamalli Plant:

It is a small plant with long pointed leaves and white flowers. Another surprising thing about this plant is that the flowers are shaped like a head of a snake with it’s fangs pointing out! If you look at the list of the plants traditionally used as a first aid for snake bites in India, you will always find nagamalli in that list.

For snake bite the extract of the whole plant is given internally and the leaf paste is applied externally on the bitten area. This plant is usually found in India, Sri lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and certain parts of Africa. You can easily identify the plant with it’s white flowers.

If you are suffering from skin disease I would suggest growing this plant at home, that way you can get access to the fresh leaves (the fresh leaf paste is applied for skin infection) daily. The plant is available very cheap and needs very little maintenance. Also it will come in very handy for treating poison bites at home. This plant can be used both externally and internally, I have given the method of using this wonderful plant below. If you can’t find the fresh plant, rhinacanthus tea is also available, you can easily order it online.

Nagamalli Medicinal Uses:

1. Anti Allergic Properties:

The leaf extract has very potent anti allergic properties, it is due to the presence of naphthoquinone compounds in the leaves. If you are suffering from allergies, have a cup of nagamalli leaf tea made by steeping the leaves in water, it will greatly help.

2. Anti Microbial Properties:

This plant has powerful anti bacterial properties and you can read the research paper that proves it here. It also has anti viral and anti fungal properties and you can read about the study proving it’s use here. It’s because of ot’s anti microbial properties that it is extensively used for treating many skin problems.

3. Anti inflammatory Properties:

This plant has also got amazing anti inflammatory properties and can be used for reducing inflammation both when taken internally and applied externally. If you are suffering from any kind of inflammation, applying a paste of nagamalli leaves with turmeric will greatly help.

4. Anti Diabetic Properties:

This plant also has anti diabetic properties which has been proven through research, you can read about the study here.

A cup of nagamalli tea made by steeping the leaves in water will help bring down elevated blood sugar levels greatly.

5. Hyperlipidemic Properties:

Another very important aspect of this plant it shows significant anti hyperlipidemic activity (cholesterol lowering properties), you can read about the study proving it clearly here. It also has been shown to be very effective for treating cervical cancer.

Nagamalli Side Effects:

This wonderful plant has also low toxicity making it very safe to consume by everyone but still like with any herb I would suggest having it in the dosage mentioned. You can also consult a herbalist or an ayurvedic doctor for the correct dosage.

3 Top Medicinal Uses & Health Benefits Of Rhinacanthus Nasutus (Nagamalli):

1. For Treating Itching, Poison Bites & Ring Worm:

Collect fresh leaves, wash them well and pound in a mortar and pestle to a fine paste and apply on the affected area. The paste should be thick else it will drip down.

2. For Treating Psoriasis, Eczema & Ring Worm:

Take equal quantity of neem leaves and nagamalli leaves and half the amount of turmeric and pound them well and apply on the affected area. Continue applying this paste daily till you get good relief…

3. Rhinacanthus Nasutus Tea:

The leaf decoction made by boiling 10 grams in a cup of water (200 ml) till it is reduced to half it’s quantity can be given twice a day for treating poison bites, skin infections and even for fever. You can also use dried leaves or the powder of the whole plant for making the tea which is very very effective for treating poison bites….

NOTES:

For treating skin diseases the fresh leaf paste is very very effective, try applying it everyday till you get good relief.
This plant can be easily grown in small pots.
The tea has anti diabetic properties…
Try drying the leaves during summer and store for future use…

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