5 Amazing Health Benefits & Uses Of Punarnava Herb

Punarnava plant is an amazing herb with many health benefits or medicinal uses. We call spreading hogweed plant punarnava in Sanskrit and mookirattai in Tamil. It is a creeper that grows everywhere in India and it bears tiny cluster of beautiful flowers that are pink in color. It is rightly called punarnava as it brings back lost vigor and vitality. This is a miracle herb that we should all get to know as it has wonderful health benefits and medicinal uses. It’s botanical name is Boerhavia Diffusa.

Punarnava Plant:

This is an edible plant that can be easily found if we know to identify it. This plant is best identified with it’s flowers, the flowers are quite tiny and we have to look closely enough to find it. We can also dry the roots whenever we get the plant and use it year round. You can also try the Punarnava powder and tablets sold in the markets, though I would prefer the fresh herb.

Sometimes I am really surprised at the amount of diseases that a single herb can cure. Punarnava herb is like that, since it is a blood purifier it treats many diseases from skin allergies to constipation. Nowadays the word detox is getting very famous, but I can confidently say that punarnava plant is a real detox plant that removes all the toxins from the body very effectively.

Punarnava Health Benefits:

1. Punarnava Herb For Kidney and Liver Disorders:

This plant is especially useful for treating all the disorders of the kidneys as it reduces the urea levels in the body very effectively. Take the decoction with the whole plant like mentioned below. Even people with worst condition will find their condition improving. This decoction can be consumed safely even while taking medications for kidney problems. It also acts as a liver tonic and can be used to treat all the disorders of the liver.

2. Punarnava Herb For Eyes:

Regular consumption of punarnava treats all the disorders of the eyes like night blindness, glaucoma and persistent irritation in the eyes. Even people suffering from gradually reducing vision will benefit from taking punarnava regularly. You can either take the root decoction or the dried root powder mixed with honey daily

3. Punarnava Herb For Constipation:

Regular consumption of punarnava also treats constipation as it is a mild laxative and it also treats anemia as it is rich in iron. To consume it for treating constipation, cook it along with lentils like given below and have it along with either hand pounded or brown rice for lunch.

4. Punarnava Herb For Skin:

Try identifying this plant and start including it in the diet at least weekly once. The best way to cook it is to add it along with lentils and also try making the drinking water out of the root and consume it as often as you can. Regular use of this herb is said to give a natural glow and youthfulness to the skin as it purifies the blood. The punarnava root water also can be used for treating skin allergies like itching, rashes, etc

5. Punarnava Herb For Edema:

Punarnava is excellent for treating edema as it is a very good diuretic, try taking it in either one of the ways mentioned below till you get good relief. Punarnava also is said to prevent cancer and uti with regular use. Side effects: This herb is best avoided by pregnant women….

3 Top Ways To Use Punarnava Herb:

1. Punarnava With Lentils:

The best way to consume punarnava on a daily basis is by cooking it along with lentils. To make the recipe, boil toor dhal along with turmeric powder, sambar powder (we use a homemade special mix for this but any sambar powder can be used for this and add according to your taste) and little bit of castor oil along with little water in a cooker for 3 whistles. Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan and splutter mustard, asafoetida and add a handful sliced small onions | shallots along with a sprig of curry leaves and 1 red chilli.

Once the onions turn translucent, add 1 finely cut tomato and fry till mushy, now add the finely cut punarnava (remove the flowers and cut the leaves and the stem finely) and fry for a minute till it wilts. Now add little water and salt and close with a lid and boil till the punarnava leaves are cooked. Once the leaves are cooked add the boiled toor dhal and bring to a boil. Once it has come to the required consistency add a tbsp of freshly grated coconut and switch off.

It tastes very nice with rice and we usually have it for lunch. This preparation can be given to young children and elderly people too. This prevents jaundice, anemia and gastric problems very effectively. This preparation can be had as often as we like and it has absolutely no side effects at all. Adding punarnava like this in our daily diet improves our health considerably.

2. Punarnava decoction:

Punarnava decoction is said to be one of the best at home remedy for kidney patients, in fact if you ask elderly people about the use of punarnava, the first use they will mention is the effect it has on kidneys. Even people who are suffering from kidney disorders for a long time will find good improvement if they take this decoction daily.

The dosage is about 3 tbsp morning and evening. Continue drinking it till you see good results. To make the decoction, first pound the roots in a mortar and pestle, especially if the root is thick. The root I used was very thick, I had a hard time getting it out of the soil as the plant was very mature, but mature roots offers the most health benefits.

Make sure to bruise it using a mortar and pestle and then add it to a cup of water and boil till it reduces in half, strain and the decoction is ready. This also is an amazing liver tonic and it is also one of the best home remedy for edema. If boiled along with a little bit of bruised peppercorns, it gives good relief from chest congestion and cough.

3. Punarnava in Castor Oil:

This is also a very popular home remedy that is practiced widely, it treats constipation very effectively. To make this remedy clean the roots well and cut into fine pieces. Now heat around 100 ml of castor oil in a pan and fry the roots along 5 peppercorns in a low flame. Once the roots are cooked, strain the oil. This oil is very potent especially if you are using mature roots.

To use it as a remedy for constipation, use around 1 tsp for adults and 1/2 tsp for young children. But if had too much it will cause diarrhea, so please be precise with the dosage. This oil also is an amazing blood purifier and is very good in treating skin related allergies as it gets rid of body toxins very quickly. Make sure to use very good quality castor oil for this remedy and also clean the roots really well.

NOTES:

Try to include punarnava in the daily diet often and also try drinking the decoction monthly once or twice to purify the blood and get rid of toxins.
Try to identify the plant using the flowers, that is the best way to identify it. The flowers are really tiny, I zoomed in as much as I could to show the flower clearly.
When you see the full plant in the below picture, you can see how very very small the flowers are…
You can also try the dried roots that sold in the markets to make the decoction, if you can’t find the fresh herb.

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