Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Sweet cherry (Prunus avium), of the Rosaceae family. Deciduous tree of the rose kind with smooth banded reddish bark, white flowers in clusters before leaf, and a red or black sweet drupe; native range: Europe and western Asia to the Himalaya, in woodland and hedgerow; long cultivated, and grown in the north-west Indian hills. Globally recognized as elavāluka, elavāla in Sanskrit, gilas, elavaluk in Hindi, and sweet cherry, gean, mazzard in English. The part used is stem bark. A smooth, glossy, red-brown bark peeling in horizontal papery bands, marked with rows of breathing-pores; astringent and faintly sweet on the tongue.
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.
SWEET CHERRY
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- sweet cherry
- Scientific name
- Prunus avium (L.) L.
- Family
- Rosaceae
Form
- Part used
- stem bark
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- astringent (kashaya) · sweet (madhura)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (shita)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- kashaya-stambhana (astringent), raktastambhana (styptic), daha-prashamana (allays burning), varnya (improves the complexion) and vishaghna
Cautions
- Contraindications
- vata conditions and dry, hard constipation — the bark is cold and astringent
- Toxicity
- no toxicity recorded for the bark in dose
This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.