Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Murva (Marsdenia tenacissima), of the Apocynaceae (Asclepiadaceae) family. Stout perennial twiner with milky sap and strongly fibrous stems; native range: dry hill scrub and forest of the Indian subcontinent, the Himalayan foothills southward. Globally recognized as mūrvā · madhurasā · madhusravā · devi in Sanskrit, murva, chota dudhia in Hindi, and murva, rajmahal hemp, moorwa in English. The part used is root; stem. Tough fibrous stems that bleed a white latex when broken; the root bitter and astringent, faintly sweetish behind the bitterness.
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.
MURVA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- murva
- Scientific name
- Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Moon
- Family
- Apocynaceae (Asclepiadaceae)
Form
- Part used
- root; stem
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter (tikta) · astringent (kashaya) · sweet (madhura)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (sheeta)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- jwaraghna (antipyretic), dahaprashamana (quenches burning), trishnanigrahana (allays thirst), pramehaghna (checks diabetes and urinary disorders), kushthaghna (heals skin disease), medohara (reduces fat), raktashodhana (cleanses the blood)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- cold and vata-predominant states; caution in pregnancy
- Toxicity
- low in ordinary use; the fresh latex is irritant to the skin and the eye
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