Bael plant/Stone apple/Bilva - Health benefits, application, chemical constituents, side effects and many more

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 Bael plant/Stone apple/Bilva


According to the historical records, bael is used as a medicinal and food item since 5000 B.C. and known to human beings even when writing the famous Sanskrit epic-poem Ramayana. Bael mentioned in the renowned book Charaka Samhita, a comprehensive compilation of all the essential ayurvedic information, which identified bael as a necessary item in ayurvedic medicine. The tree is aromatic, and all the parts are medicinally important. Fruits, leaves, bark, roots, and seeds are used in ayurvedic medicine systems to treat various ailments. It is extensively described in Indian literature, since Vedic period. It is one among the Dashamoola herbs (Group of ten roots).

Bael is considered as the most sacred or holy plant which is grown by the sides of Hindu temples. This plant is dedicated to Lord Shiva andis also believed that Lord Shiva resides under the Bael tree. Besides this, the plant is associated with a great medicinal value whose medicinal descriptionis also mentioned in the ancient treatise like Vedas, Puranas, Charaka Samhita and Brihat Samhita and has also been portrayed in the paintings of Ajantacaves. 

It shows antimicrobial, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, astringent, antidiarrheal, antidysenteric, immunomodulatory, antiproliferative, demulcent, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, wound-healing, antidiabetic, insecticidal, and gastroprotective properties.

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Phytochemical constituents

The health promotive and protective effect of bael fruit is accounted by fibers, carotenoids, phenolics, terpenoids, coumarins, flavonoids, and alkaloids.

Bael fruits contain xanthotoxol, imperatorin, alloimperatorin, β-sitosterol, tannins, and alkaloids such as aegeline and marmeline. Tannin was found to increase during ripening, where the highest tannin content was found in fully ripe fruits. Riboflavin, an essential vitamin, is only found in fully ripe fruits. However, the ascorbic acid content decreases significantly with fruit ripening, implying a marked reduction of antioxidant activity with maturation.

Leaves contain alkaloids, mermesinin, rutin, phenylethyl cinnamides, anhydromarmeline and aegelinosides, sterols, and essential oils. Stem barks and roots contain a coumarin as aegelinol. Roots also contain psoralen, xanthotoxin, coumarins, tembamide, mermin, and skimmianine. 

Chemical analysis suggests that Bael contains tannins, skimmianin, essential oils like caryophyllene, cineole, citral, cuminaldehyde, citronella, p-cymene, d-limonene and eugenol, sterols and/or triterpenoids, including lupeol, β & γ-sitosterol, α & β-amyrin, flavonoids like rutinand coumarins, including aegeline, marmesin, umbelliferone marmelosine, marmelin, o-methyl halfordinol, alloimperatorin methyl ether, o-isopentenyl halfordinol, phlobatannins, flavon-3-ols, leucoanthocyanins, and anthocyanins.8-10 Most of these chemicals possess beneficial health effects and exhibit diverse pharmacological effects.

The main active phytochemical constituents isolated from the fruit part of the plantinclude marmelosin (helps in curing stomach diseases), psoralen, luvangetin, tannins and marmin8,9.

The maximum tannin content in bael fruit wasrecorded in the month of January. There is as much as 9%tannin in the pulp.

Tannin is also present in leaves as skimmianine, it is alsonamed as 4, 7, 8 - trimethoxyfuro- quinoline.

The essential oil of the leaves contains d-limonene, 56% a-d-phellandrene, cineol, citronellal, citral,17% pcyrnene, 5% cumin aldehyde. The limonene-rich oilhas been distilled from the rind for scenting hair oil.

The other nutritional constituents present in Bael fruits are water,sugar, protein, fiber, fat, calcium, phosphorus,potassium, Iron and vitamins (Vit A, Vit B, Vit C & Riboflavin). The major Alkaloids present in Bael areaegelin, aegelinine, fragine, o-methyl halforodinine, o-iso pentanyl halfordinol, ethyl cinnamide, ethylcinnamide. 





Properties and Benefits

Unripe bael fruit

  • Kapha Vatajit – Balances Kapha & Vata.
  • Teekshna (piercing), Snigdha (unctuous, oiliness)
  • Sangrahi – Absorbent
  • Agni Pittakrut – Improves digestion and Pitta
  • Ruksha – Dry
  • Katu, Tikta, Kashaya – Has pungent, bitter and astringent taste
  • Ushna – hot


Young unripe bael fruits

  • Snigdha – Unctuous, oily
  • Ushna – Hot
  • Teekshna – Piercing
  • Pittavardhana – Increases Pitta
  • Deepana – improves digestion


Ripe Bael fruit

  • Durjara – Difficult for digestion,
  • Pooti Maruta – Producer of foul smelling flatus
  • Madhura anurasa – It has sweet after taste
  • Guru (heavy to digest)
  • Vidahi – Causes slight burning sensation
  • Vishtambhakara – Causes constipation
  • Useful in diarrhoea & dysentery
  • Doshakrut – May cause imbalance of Tridosha, especially Vata.
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  • The unripe bilva stimulates the digestive fire, is heavy for digestion, unctuous and acts as absorbent. The ripe bilva fruit has madhura rasa as its secondary taste. it cures all the vitiation of three doshas, Bilva fruit dipped in kanjika helps in stimulating digestive fire, it acts as a cardio tonic, improves taste perception and helps in treating amavata.


Bael root

  • Tridoshaghna – Balances Tridosha
  • Chardighna – Relieves vomiting
  • Madhura – Sweet
  • Laghu – Light to digest
  • Shulaghna – Relieves abdominal colic pain


Bael leaves

  • Sangrahi – Absorbent
  • Vatajit – Balances Vata
  • Bael leaves are used in dyspepsia, gastritis indigestion, cold and sinusitis.


Bael Pith

  • Kaphavataghna – Balances Kapha & Vata
  • Amaghna – Relieves state of indigestion at the level of digestive tract and tissues
  • Shulaghna – Relieves abdominal colic pain
  • Grahini – Absorbent


Bilwa Stem

  • Kasaghna – Relieves cough, cold
  • Amavataghna – Useful in Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Hrudya – Good for heart
  • Agnivardhana – Improves digestion(Carminative)
  • Pachana – Improves digestive enzymes
  • Snigdha (unctuous, oiliness), Teekshna (piercing), Katu (pungent), Kashaya (astringent), Ushna (hot), Tikta (Bitter)


Bilva Flower

  • Atisarahara – Relieves dysentery & diarrhoea
  • Trushahara – Relieves thirst
  • Vamihara – Anti emetic – relieves vomiting.


Bael fruit oil 

  • To relieve chest congestion and cold, the Bael fruit oil is applied over chest and forehead, over sinus region. It relieves pain, inflammation and also improves skin complexion. 
  • Oil derived from bael fruit pulp is hot in nature, and relieves Vata.Bael fruit kept in sour gruel improves digestion power, acts as carminative.



Uses, Remedies, Benefits and Application 

1) Acharya Charaka also indicates that bilva leaves, used in the form of powder or herbal tea are well tolerated by the body even in higher doses. 


2) Bael fruit is rich in colorants and flavoring agents, which could be used as additives in the food industry.


3) It is used as one of the ingredients of Chyavanprash.


4) Bael root extract with onion, turmeric in equal proportion has been useful in secretion from ears.

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5) Bilva leaves Balance down Vata Dosha.  In the treatment of jaundice, ginger, black pepper and long pepper fruit powders – 1 teaspoon mix is administered along with 15 ml of Bael leaf juice,15 ml of juice of Aragwadha (Cassia fistula), 15 ml Amla juice  15 ml of sugarcane juice and 15 ml of Vidari juice (Pueraria tuberosa).This is administered once or twice a day, on an empty stomach or before food.

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6) The extract prepared by boiling the bark, leaves or roots in water is useful as laxative, febrifuge, and expectorant. The extract is also useful in ophthalmia, deafness, inflammations, catarrh, diabetes, and asthmatic complaints. 


7) An oil prepared with bael root is used in ear diseases.


8) Because of the presence of detergent property, the pulp of the fruit of the Bael plant is used in washing clothes.  


9) In ancient times, bael fruit is also used as binding material for joining stones for construction along with lime, jaggery, zinc, clay, granular soil.

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8) Kaiyadeva Nighantu Oshadhi Varga 19 Its leaves are sangrahi – absorb excess water and useful in Irritable bowel syndrome. It helps to improve the size and shape of feces. 

  • In case of muscle pain due to injury, its leaves are made a paste and applied externally.  How to use bel leaves? In the treatment of headache, its leaves are mixed with lukewarm water, ground and paste is applied over the forehead. 
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  • In conjunctivitis, its paste is applied gently over closed eyelids. 
  • Orally, its fresh juice extract is advised in a dose of 10 ml, once or twice a day, before food, for colic pain and IBS Or its leaf decoction is prepared by boiling 20 grams of leaves in 2 cups of water, boiled and reduced to one cup, filtered and consumed lukewarm. 

9) Massaging Bael leaf powder with coconut oil on the scalp to promote hair growth as it provides nourishment to the hair.

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10) Dried and powdered pulp of bael fruit when taken with cow’s milk helps in the treatment of anemia.

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11) (Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Sthana 16-58,59)Bel leaves are added with water and boiled. Its steam is used for mild fomentation of eyes to relieve conjunctivitis with excess discharge.


12) Unripe fruit pulp of the plant is used to prepare murabba, pudding and juice. 


13) Bilva leaves are useful to relieve pain due to acid peptic disorder and weak digestion strength. Leaves are useful to relieve abdominal colic pain and inflammation associated with Kapha and Pitta aggravation.  


14) The roots are also one of the important ingredients of the Ayurvedic traditional drug Dashamula, a panacea for colitis, dysentery, diarrhea, flatulence, and fever.


15) The gum enveloping the seeds is mostabundant in wild fruits and especially when they are unripe. Itis commonly used as a household glue and is employed as anadhesive by jewelers. Sometimes it is resorted to as a soap-substitute. It part of  is mixed with lime plaster for waterproofing wells and is added to cement when building walls. Artists addit to their watercolors, and it may be applied as a protectivecoating on paintings.


16) India, the semi-ripe fruits are used in the preparation of jams by adding sugar, citric acid and are also used as a preservative.


17) The oil prepared from the unripe fruit when soaked in gingelly oil for a week is useful in removing the peculiar burning sensation in the soles. 


18) Research shows, Bael leaves are a good aid in removing mucilage secretion from bronchial tubes. Application is found in conjunctivitis treatment and even in curing constipation, deafness, and leucorrhoea. Bowel syndrome may be treated by bael leaf powder. Bael leaf essential oil is reported to show various therapeutic actions.


19) In abscess curing, pulp powder of unripe fruit is very helpful.


20) Powdered fruit and mustard oil in the ratio 1:2 is used in southern Chattisgarh in burn treatment.


21) The flower has astringent as well as antiseptic properties, used in epilepsy. Marmala water, isolated after distillation from the flower is found helpful in catering conjunctivitis. Bael flower extract has been tested for wound healing properties. It is reported that mRNA expression has been increased by inhibition of nitric oxide, the release of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), thus increasing wound healing in rats.


22) Root bark may be used as a fish poison and fever treatment, where as bark decoction, leaf extract with honey and bael extract is used in fever, febrifuge as well as in intermittent fever.

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24) Bilva root were recommended as diet in asthma and hiccough


25) The root, leaf and bark decoction of the plant is used to treat intermittent fever, heart and stomach disorders.


Note :

  • It also acts as a Climate Purifier that absorbs the poisonous gases fromthe atmosphere and making them inactive or neutral.  
  • In case of grapes, bael fruit and Haritaki (Harad fruit), – dried fruits are better than the fresh fruits.
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  • The leaves are also used in veterinary medicine tocure the wound, killing worms and as fodder for Sheep, Goat and Cattle 



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Refrence

  1. Kayyadeva Nighantu
  2. Charaka Samhita
  3. Sushruta Samhita 
  4. Food Sci Nutr. 2018 Oct; 6(7): 1927–1932.   PMCID: PMC6189606
  5. J Surg Case Rep. 2020 Mar; 2020(3): rjaa043.  PMCID: PMC7059890
  6. Asian Pac J Trop Dis. 2014 Feb; 4(1): 71–77.  PMCID: PMC4027346
  7. Hindawi,  Advances in Agriculture,  Volume 2020, Article ID 8814018, 13 pages
  8. PLoS One. 2020; 15(5): e0233609.  PMCID: PMC7244165
  9. WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH, 2019,5(11), 52-54
  10. Bhojana Kutuhalam
  11. Brihat Samhita 
  12. Local tradition and knowledge 
  13. Int. J. Res. Ayurveda Pharm.12 (3), 2021
  14. Lipids Health Dis. 2018; 17: 68.  PMCID: PMC5883530
  15. Gupta et al., IJPSR, 2011; Vol. 2(8): 2031-2036
  16. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2018 Apr-Jun; 9(2): 90–98.
  17. Pharmacogn J. 2019; 11(2): 207-224
  18. Asian Journal of Plant Science and Research, 2011, 1 (2)
  19. Food Research International. Volume 44, Issue 7, August 2011, Pages 1768-1775
  20. INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHARMACY | ISSN 2230 – 8407
  21. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research.   Volume 2, December 2020, 100081Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2017) 6(3): 1870-1887
  22. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research; Volume 2, December 2020, 100081
  23. Pharma Science Monitor 5(2), Apr-Jun 2014,21-30
  24. Journal of Agricultural Sciences 84 (10): 1236–42, October 2014/Article
  25. Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.
  26. Baliga MS, Thilakchand KR, Rai MP, Rao S, Venkatesh P. Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa (Bael) and its phytochemicals in the treatment and prevention of cancer. Integr Cancer Ther. 2013;12(3):187-196. doi:10.1177/1534735412451320

Comments

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