Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Indian elm (Holoptelea integrifolia), of the Ulmaceae family. Large deciduous tree with pale corky bark and elm-like leaves, bearing winged seeds in flat clusters; native range: dry and moist deciduous forest across the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. Globally recognized as chirabilva in Sanskrit, chilbil, papri in Hindi, and Indian elm, jungle cork tree, south Indian elm in English. The part used is bark. Pale corky bark, bitter and astringent with a pungent acrid tail and a faintly foetid smell when fresh.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
INDIAN ELM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Indian elm
- Scientific name
- Holoptelea integrifolia (Roxb.) Planch.
- Family
- Ulmaceae
Form
- Part used
- bark
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- astringent · pungent · bitter (kashaya, katu, tikta)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna virya)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- scrapes fat and kapha, expels worms, clears the skin, anti-inflammatory to swollen joints, heals eruptions and eases piles
Cautions
- Contraindications
- drying and heating; use cautiously in high pitta and in dry, depleted vata states
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