Agiya Ghas / Rusa Grass / Cymbopogon Martini – Classification, Ayurvedic Properties & Dosage

Description

Ayurveda is a traditional, holistic approach originating from India, that focuses on promoting the wellness of body, soul, and mind, lifestyle changes, diet, and exercise. Ayurvedic medicines offer strong protection from diseases, Ayurveda practices always hold a torchlight in our hard times to help in cleansing the body and defend against disease and Ayurvedic medicine aims to stop the illness effectively by various means like nutrition, medicinal treatment, spices in food, etc.

Agiya Ghas, Rusa Grass, Cymbopogon Martini

General Information

Rusa grass is commonly known as Rohisha, Cymbopogon martini is effectively used for the treatment of pain in joints, various respiratory ailments, anorexia, worm infestation, inflammation in the skin, and various GIT disorders like diarrhoea. This is profoundly found in upper himalayas at the elevation of two thousand metre. Its flowers bloom from September to november. This plant is considered as geraniol, linalol, germany acetate, carvone etc. this herb is used to balance the Vata and Kapha dosha and the paste of this herb is used to alleviate the rakta dosha and works efficiently in purification of blood.

Special Note About This Plant

In the traditional medicinal system this herb is used for various medicinal purposes, some of them are – rheumatoid arthritis, loss of hair, joint pain, spasmodic pains, and it also shows its wonderful effects on the fungal diseases. This is a small herb that is profoundly found in the Himalayas in temperate climate. It has two varieties of plant which are considered as Motiya and Sofia. These are not different from its vegetational properties but these are differentiated from its growing areas because motiya variety is found just away from one another whereas sofia variety is found in groupism in fields. Motia variety is rich in geraniol and usually found with its name is Palmarosa oil and sofia variety consists of a lesser amount of Geraniol of its oil is different from the motia and is named as Ginger Grass Oil.

Systemic Classification

Botanical Name – Cymbopogon martini
Family – Gramineae
Genus – Cymbopogon
Species – Martini

Synonyms

Nal – Resembles a hollow pipe.
Potgal
Shunya madhya – The middle part is empty.
Dhaman – Its soft stem is used for making hollow pipes.

Other Vernacular Names

In Sanskrit – Rohish
In Hindi – Rusa ghas, Mirchagandh
In English – Rusa Grass
In Bengal – Agiyaghas
In Gujarati – Ronsado
In Malayalam – Rohish gavat

Habitat

Rusa grass is a perennial herb whose fragrance is sweet and somewhat confused with rose. It originates from the short, stout, woody rootstock and goes upto five to eight feet high from the ground, it has swollen nodular growths on the lower end.

Leaves are linear and lance shaped, grow upto fifty cm long and wide upto the ten to thirty millimetre glaucous from the below part and above it is of dark green in colour, this is heart shaped from the base.

Its panicles are of about thirty centimetre long, linear or oblong in shape, and its spatheoles are two to four centimetre long and have tinge of red and orange colour at maturity.

Flowers are long and are one and half to two centimetre long, are barrel shaped, the lowermost pedicle is swollen, and its flowers are somewhat hairy from the back.

It has deep-V shaped groove in the lower sessile spikelets and glume flat on the upper part, these are elliptic oblong and having four to four and half mm long. This is profoundly found in upper himalayas at the elevation of two thousand metre. Its flowers bloom from September to november.

Classical Categorisation

Acharya Charak has mentioned this herb in his most effective mahakashaya varg named as Stanayajanan mahakashaya.
Bhavprakash nighantu described this herb in his beautiful herbs that are used for various types of diseases. He categorised rohisha herb in Guduchyadi varga.
Raj nighantu has described this herb in Shalmalayadi varga.
Kaidev nighantu and Dhanwantri nighantu have also mentioned this herb in their literature.

Ancient Verse

Shloka – 1

रोहिषं तुवरं तिक्तं कटुपाकंव्यपोहति ।
हृत्कण्डुव्याधिवातास्रशूलकासकफज्वरान् ।।

Reference – Bhavprakash Nighantu / Guduchyadi Varga

Interpretation of Shloka – This herb is Kashaya (Astringent), Tikta (Bitter), and in vipaka it is katu (Pungent). This is very helpful as a heart tonic and relieves bleeding disorders, pain, cough, and fever effectively.

Shloka – 2

कत्तृणं तुवरं तिक्तमुष्णम् कटु विपाकतः ।
बलासपित्तरुधिरकंण्डुहृद्रोगनाशनम् ।
कृमिकासज्वराश्वासशूलाजीर्णरूचिप्रणुत् ।।

Reference – Kaiyyadev Nighantu

Interpretation of Shloka – This herb is Kashaya (Astringent), Tikta (Bitter), is of hot potency and in vipaka it is katu (Pungent). This is helpful in strengthening the body, relieves blood disorders, itching, heart diseases, various infections, cough, fever, pulmonary diseases, indigestion.

Shloka – 3

कत्तृणं श्वासकासघ्नम् हृद्रोगशमनं परम ।
विषूच्यजीर्णशूलघ्नम् कफपित्तास्रनाशनम् ।।

Reference – Dhanwantri Nighantu

Interpretation of Shloka – This herb is very helpful in managing the respiratory diseases, like cough and is best in relieving the heart diseases, any type of poisoning or indigestion, bloating and is good for kapha, pitta and raktaj diseases.

Shloka – 4

कुत्तृणं दशनामाढयम् कटुतिक्तकफापहम् ।
शस्त्रशल्यादिदोषघ्नं बालग्रहविनाशनम् ।।

Reference – Raj Nighantu

Interpretation of Shloka – This herb has ten synonyms, is pungent, bitter, and is good for pacifying the Kapha dosha. It removes the doshas due to its sharp quality, and is said to be a very good herb for kids diseases specially in Balgraha.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa (Taste) – Katu (Pungent), Tikta (Bitter)
Guna (Quality) – Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), teekshna
Veerya (Potency) – Ushna (hot)
Vipaka (Post digestive effect) – Katu (Pungent)
Karma (Action) – Balances the Vata and Kapha dosha.
Projyang (Part used) – Leaves, flowers, and the stem has been used for this plant and the oil of this plant is also very beneficial.

Effects on Doshas

Balances Vata and Kapha dosha and the paste of this herb is used to alleviate the Rakta dosha.

Its traditional indications are found as Raktapitta (bleeding occurs from the natural routes like epistaxis, heavy menstrual flow), kandu (Pruritus), krumi roga (worm infestation), kasa – shwas (cough cold – many chronic respiratory disorders), ajeerna (indigestion), aruchi (anorexia), kantha vyahi (hoarseness of voice), balagraha (psychiatric problems in children).

Practical Uses

This herb is helpful in maintaining all the three doshas but its proven results are found in Vataj-pittaj vikaras.
It has its wonderful effect in visarpa roga and other skin diseases.
When it is used internally it is effective in purification of blood, and is used in Blood related disorders.
Decoction of its roots are used for enhancing the milk production in females.
This is also helpful in enhancing the sperm production in males.
This is also used as diuretic to combat the inflammation in the urinary bladder and is used where the patients are concerned with dysuria.
It also improves the strength of cardiac muscles.
Cold infusion of this herb is used to treat fever, anorexia and nausea related diseases.
Its wonderful results are occured with its oil extraction that is mixed with hot water, and is also used for steam inhalation in asthmatic and cold conditions.
It also gives good results in scabies and in discoloration of the skin.
Oil of Rohisha herb is used to treat the pain of rheumatoid arthritis, or alopecia to initiate the hair growth.