Indian Water Chestnut

BOTANICAL NAME:

• Trapa bispinosa

FAMILY:

• Onagraceae

SYNONYM(S):

• Trapa natans
• Trapa quandnispinosa

URDU NAME:

• Singhara

REGIONAL NAME:

• Bengali: Paniphal
• Pashto: Singhara
• Sanskrit: Shningataka
• Sindhi: Shiningata
• Punjabi: Singhara
• Chinese: Chithue

UNANI/TIBBI NAME:

• Singhara

ENGLISH NAME:

• Indian water chestnut

HABITAT:

• It is found in Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P. growing in ponds lakes and stagnant water.

DESCRIPTION:

• An aquatic plant
• Stems submerged in the water with numerous opposite pains of green floating roots.
• Leaves alternate, rhomboid with triangular apex, base entire upper pant serrate, upper surface shiny, dark green with brown specks, lower reddish-purple velvety.
• Flowers with 4 petals, white in colors, few axillary, solitary.
• Fruit angular, ovoid, 2.5-5cm in breadth and length, outer skin black with white nut inside, has short-conical projection n the centre and apex, and a spinous horn at each side. 

PART USED:

• Fruit

TASTE:

• Sweetish

TEMPERAMENT:

• Fresh-cold, moist
• Dried -cold, dry

PERIOD OF OCCURRENCE:

• Flowers in September

PROCEDURE & TIME OF COLLECTION:

• Fruiting occurs around December

CONSTITUENTS:

• Starch
• Manganese
• Calcium
• Phosphorus
• Iron
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Iodine
• Thiamine
• Riboflavin
• Nicotinic acid
• Vitamins A & C

SUBSTITUTES:

• Nill

ACTIONS AND USES IN UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE:

Pharmacological action:

• Aphrodisiac
• Appetizer
• Antipyretic
• Refrigerant

Therapeutic uses:

• Is useful in chronic fevers, diarrhea, biliousness

DOSES:

• 5-10 g

CORRECTIVES:

• Salt
• Filfil Siyah/black pepper

IMPORTANT UNANI FORMULATIONS:

• Majun ardkhurma
• Halwa supari pak
• Sufuf kalan
• Sufuf muallif
• Majum juryan khas

ASTROLOGY:

• Moon