Gokhru

Botanical Name

Tribulus terrestris L

Family

Zygophyllaceae

Synonyms

Tribulus lanuginosus L., Tribulus saharae A. Chev., Tribulus terrestris var. sericeus Andersson ex Svenson.

Regional Name

English : Caltrops fruit,Hindi :Gokhru, Sanskrit :Goksuraka, Traikatna,Svadamstra, Traikantaka, Assamese :Gokhurkata, Gokshura, Bengali :Gokhri, Gokshura, Gujrati :Bethagokharu, Mithagokhru, Nanagokharu, Kannada :Neggilamullu, Neggilu, Sannaneggilu, Kashmiri :Pakhda, Michikand, Malayalam :Nerinjil, Marathi :Gokharu, Sarate, Oriya :Gokhyura, Gukhura, Punjabi :Bhakhra, Gokhru, Tamil :Nerinjil, Nerunjil,Telugu :PalleruKaya,Urdu :Khar-e-KhasakKhurd.

Part Used

Fruit.

Description

Goksura is an annual plant widely distributed around the world, It is native to warm temperate and tropical regions of southern Europe, southern Asia, throughout Africa, and Australia. It is rarely perennial common weed of the pasture lands, roadsides, and other waste places grow throughout India as prostrate herb and up to 3,000 m in Kashmir. Fruit stalked, light or greenish-yellow, five ribbed or angled, more or less spherical in structure. The fruit is easily falling apart into five nutlets or burs. The nutlets are hard and bear two to four sharp spines,10 mm long and 4–6 mm broad point-to-point.

Phytoconstituents

The active ingredients in Tribulusterrestris include saponins, lignin amides, flavonoids, alkaloids and glycosides,potassium nitrate, sterols, sapogenin with pyroketone ring (diosgenin), gitogenin and hecogenins.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa-Madhura,Guna-Guru,snigdha, Vipaka-Madhura,Virya-Sita, Karma-Vrsya,Brmhana,Vatanut,Vastisodhana,Asmarihara.

Medicinal Uses

It is used in cardiovascular diseases including angina, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, anemia, and poor circulation. Digestive disorders that may benefit from the use of puncture vine include constipation and flatulence. It is also used as a treatment internally and externally for immune disorders, such as allergic skin conditions, eczema and psoriasis, and scabies; for male sexual problems, including erectile dysfunction (ED), involuntary release of semen without orgasm (spermatorrhea), and to increase sexual desire It is used for kidney problems, including kidney stones, painful urination, a kidney disorder called Bright’s disease, and as a (diuretic) to increase urination.

Ayurvedic Applications

Arsa, Svasa, Sularoga, Daurbalya, Hrdroga, Kasa, Mutrakrcchra.