THERAPEUTIC USES OF VARAHIKANDA (DIOSCOREA BULBIFERA L.): A REVIEW ARTICLE
Dr. Manisha and Dr. Naresh Kumar Garg*
ABSTRACT
Traditional medicine forms an integral part of health care system in many countries. According to WHO statistics, about 25% of the medicines are derived from plants. 80% people still depend upon traditional system of medicine. The practice of traditional medicine is based on hundreds of years of belief and observation, which originated much before the development of the modern medicine. The knowledge of traditional medicine throws light on the discovery of new and potent medicine. Systematic documentation is lacking for many medicinal plants in India. Varahikana (Dioscorea bulbifera L.) possesses profound therapeutically potency, belongs to the family Dioscoreaceae which includes 9 genera and 220 species which are distributed in tropical and warm temperate regions. It is attributed with Vrushya (Aphrodisiac), Balya (Strength promoting), Rasayana (Rejuvinative) karmas. Review highlights on all the classical references of Varahikanda.
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