Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Jivaka orchid (Malaxis acuminata), of the Orchidaceae family. Small terrestrial orchid of the forest floor, rising from a single fleshy pseudobulb; native range: shaded humus-rich forest floors of the Himalaya from Kashmir to Bhutan, and the hills of central and southern India. Globally recognized as jīvaka · madhura · shringika in Sanskrit, jivak in Hindi, and jivaka orchid in English. The part used is pseudobulb (the fleshy underground stem). A pale ovoid pseudobulb, firm and mucilaginous within, sweetish and bland to the tongue, slimy on chewing.
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.
JIVAKA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- jivaka orchid
- Scientific name
- Malaxis acuminata D.Don
- Family
- Orchidaceae
Form
- Part used
- pseudobulb (the fleshy underground stem)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- sweet (madhura)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (sheeta)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- jivaniya (life-giving, vitalising), brimhana (nourishing and bulk-building), balya (strengthening), vrishya (aphrodisiac), stanyajanana (promotes milk), daha-prashamana (quenches burning), rasayana
Cautions
- Contraindications
- kapha-predominant states, sluggish digestion, obesity — it is heavy and building
- Toxicity
- none recorded; a nourishing drug
- Sourcing status
- cites-ii
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