Atibala / Country mallow / Abutilon Indicum – Classification, Ayurvedic Properties & Dosage

Description

Ayurveda is an ancient Science that is comprehensive and holistic to the health of a human being, the basic goal of Ayurveda is to approach the root cause of the disease and help to cure that and then heal the illness. Ayurveda has a great inventory of herbs that are effective in various concoctions, it plays a major role in managing our lifestyle practices and a healthy diet to maintain the three pillars of Ayurveda that are tridoshas – Vata, pitta, and kapha. These doshas are balanced differently in everyone’s body. According to the Ayurveda system, the key to a healthy digestive and metabolic system. It is directly linked with digestive fire, if it gets disturbed then our body starts to accumulate the Ama Dosha which is a type of toxins that are getting accumulated in our body and results in developing the diseases. So Ayurveda helps to get control all over the body with the help of natural resources like herbs and their formulations.

Atibala, Country mallow, Abutilon Indicum

General Information

Atibala, its Latin name is Abutilon Indicum belongs to the Malvaceae family. Its English name is Country mallow and kanghi in Hindi. It is a kind of perennial herb that is three metres tall from the ground. It grows in sub-Himalayan areas at elevations up to 1200 metres and is usually found in those areas that are hotter than others. His is a common roadside weed with beautiful golden-yellow blooms, this has various medicinal properties like it is anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, etc. in nature. This herb or weed is usually found on wastelands and roadsides. This herb consists of tannins, Asparagine and its seeds contain mucilage chemicals that are used to treat various typical diseases.

Special Note About This Plant

Atibala is used in Ayurveda, Sidha, and Folk medicines and is used to treat various health ailments like Piles, Dysentry, Fever, and various infections, like urinary tract infections, and is also used as a heart tonic or acts as hepatoprotective in nature. Its roots, barks, leaves and flowers are used to prepare medicines to treat concoctions. Its name shows its effect as it is divided into Ati which means very and Bala means power, its name shows its wonderful property that is meant to give power to the body.

Systemic Classification

Botanical Name – Abutilon Indicum
Family – Malvaceae

Synonyms

Rishyaprokta
Balika
Rishagadha
Bhuribala

Other Vernacular Names

In Sanskrit – Kanktika
In Hindi – Kanghi, Kakahi
In Bengali – Petari, Jhanpi
In Punjabi –Mudra
In Madrassi – Makanne
In Gujarati –Khapat, dabli, Kansika
In Telgu –Tutturabendha
In Malayalam –Vellula

Habitat

This is a small shrub belongs to malvaceae family, and is therapeutic powerful herb which is identified as an erect, perennial herb that grows upto one to two metre in height, consisting of tap roots, that are light brown in hue with smooth outer area that can be easily peeled off.
The stem is long and cylindrical in shape.
Leaves are simple, stipulate and arranged opposite.
Flowers are in circulate capsules.
Fruits are green in colour when unripened, and come to turn in black as they get ripened with time.
Seeds are reni-form and tuberculate with a hairy exterior in tuberculate shape.
This herb contains various chemical compositions such as tannins, carbonic acid, asparagine, sulphate, and chloride and it also consists of magnesium phosphate. The seeds are Mucilaginous that helps this herb to work properly.

Classical Categorisation

Acharya Charak has been categorised as this herb in Madhura Skanda (sweet rasa), or in Balya mahakashaya which is used to improvise the strength of the patient.
They have described this herb along with Bala so these are both togetherly called Baladwaya.
Bala, Atibala, Nagbala are togetherly called Balatraya.
And with all three if we add mahabala then this category is included in Bala Chatushka.
Kaiyadeva nighantu categorised this herb in Aushadhi Varga.
Raj Nighantu described this herb in Shatahvadi varga
Dhanwantri Nighantu and Bhavprakash have also mentioned this herb in their textbooks.

Ancient Verse

Shloka – 1

वातपित्तापहं ग्राही बल्यं वृष्यं बलात्रयम् ।

Reference – Dhanwantri Nighantu / Guduchyadi Varga

Interpretation of Shloka – This herb is one of the Balatrayam that pacifies Vata and Pitta dosha, is styptic, strengthening, and is an aphrodisiac.

Shloka – 2

तिक्ता कटुश्चातिबला वातघ्नी कृमिनाशनी ।
दाहतॄष्णाविषच्छर्दि क्लेदोपशमनी परा ।।

Reference – Raj Nighantu / Satahvadi Varga

Interpretation of Shloka – Atibala is Katu (Pungent), Tikta (Bitter), and is said to be good for the pacification of Vata dosha. It is anti-helminthic and controls the burning sensation, reduces dehydration, vomiting, and many poisonous effects. It is helpful in removing the kleda from the body.

Shloka – 3

बलचतुष्टयम् शीतं मधुरं बलकांतिकृत ।
स्निगधम् ग्राही समीरास्रपित्तास्रक्षतनाशनम् ।।

Reference – Bhavprakash Nighantu / Guduchyadi Varga

Interpretation of Shloka – This herb is consisting of cold potency, and sweet taste, strengthens the body, increases the glow over the skin, moisturizes the body, and is good absorbent in nature. Helpful in controlling the Vata dosha, raktapitta, or other bleeding disorders, and is useful in healing wounds or ulcers.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa (Taste) – Madhur (Sweet)
Guna (Quality) – Guru (Heavy), Snigadh (Moist)
Veerya (Potency) – Sheeta (Cold)
Vipaka (Post digestive effect) – Madhur (Sweet)
Karma (Action) – Balances the Vata and Pitta dosha.
Projyang (Part used) – Fruits, leaves, bark, and flowers are used.

Effects on Doshas

Balances the Vata and Pitta dosha.
This herb is imbibed with powerful properties of demulcent, laxative, anti-diabetic, anti-pyretic and immunomodulatory in nature with hepatoprotective and analgesic, and wound healing properties.

Practical Uses

It balances vata- pitta dosha, is absorbent in nature, and also improves strength, and works like a natural aphrodisiac nature.
The rest of the ingredients work similarly to that of the other varieties like Bala, mahabala, nagbala.
This herb is very effective in maintaining the quality and quantity of the sperm count.
This is useful against recurrent fever, by improving its immunity, and by giving strength to the body.
It gives a glow to the skin, improves the skin texture, lustrous in nature.
This herb relieves bleeding disorders and is good in fastening the healing process of wounds or any type of injury.
In toothaches and painful gums, a decoction of its green leaves is used as a mouthwash and is also used for pooling.
In hepatoprotective, a decoction of leaves is used with a mixture of onion to treat various ailments of the liver like jaundice, fatty liver, etc.
Infusion of the root is used in fever, and hematuria, or works as a cooling agent in the body.
It also helps in fighting free radicals that are unstable and harmful atoms that can damage our various cells or tissues or organs and gives many harmful results.
This herb acts on both acute and chronic inflammations and is helpful in maintaining blood sugar levels with proper weight regulation.
This herb is used to stimulate our immune response to various diseases.