INTELLECT PLANT
Botanical Name: Celastrus paniculatus
Native Origin: Himalayas
The plant has a wide range of medicinal uses. It is often utilised within its native range and sometimes also exported. The seed and its oil are particularly valued. The seeds are an aphrodisiac, bitter, emetic, laxative and stimulant. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, leprosy, gout, fevers and paralysis.
In combination with Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), it is used as a nootropic cognitive booster. The seed oil is a major component in various products to relieve rheumatic and muscular pains. The oil is an ingredient of many more herbal medicines, which claim to enhance the nervous and mental system.
The crushed seeds, a decoction of the seeds or the fixed oil from the seed are applied as a poultice, or taken internally. Credited with stimulant and inducing perspiration properties, they are applied to relieve fevers, joint and muscular pains, and paralysis. The oil from the seed is a powerful stimulant. There are alkaloids in the oil that also have a tranquilizing property.
The leave sap is used as an antidote to opium posinoning. It is also considered to be analgesic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, emetic, emmenagogue, stimulant and tonic.
The root is used as an antimalarial and antipyretic. The wood is used in the treatment of tuberculosis. The bark is abortifacient. The juice from the bark is used in the treatment of indigestion. The stem bark is used as an antidysenteric and a decoction of the stem as a diuretic in the treatment of kidney disorders. The fruits are considered antiflatulent, a blood tonic and a relief for fainting.
The oil has been shown to cause an overall decrease in the turnover of three central monoamines (norepinephrine, dopamine, serotin) which involved in the learning and memory process. Various animal trials have generally supported the idea that one or more constituents of the oil may offer cognitive enhancing properties and significant improvement in retention ability. It is also used in the treatment of Beriberia, a disease caused by a vitamin B-1 deficiency.
For research purposes only.