Botanical Name:- Mesua ferrea Linn.
Family:- Guttiferae
English Name:- Cobra’s Saffron
Hindi Name:- नागकेसर
नागपुष्पः स्मृतो नागः केशरो नागकेशरः । चाम्पेयो नागकिञ्जल्कः कथितः काञ्चनाह्वयः ॥ (भा. प्र.नि. कर्पूरादिवर्गः 69)
Names and properties of Nagkeshar:- Nagpushpa, Nag, Keshar, Nagkeshar, Champey, Nagkinjalk and Kanchanahvay (all the words meaning Kanchan are its synonyms) all these masculine words. [69]
नागपुष्पं कषायोष्णं रूक्षं लध्वामपाचनम् ॥ (भा. प्र.नि. कर्पूरादिवर्गः 70)
ज्वरकण्डूतृषास्वेदच्छर्दिहृल्लासनाशनम् । दौर्गन्ध्यकुष्ठवीसर्पकफपित्तविषापहम् ॥ (भा. प्र.नि. कर्पूरादिवर्गः 71)
Nagkesar (Nagkesar flower) – It is astringent, hot in potency, dry . It is also useful in removing fever, itching, thirst, sweating, vomiting, bad smell, leprosy, erysipelas, phlegm, Pitt and poison. [70-71]
It is found in the mountains of Eastern Himalaya, Assam, South India and East Bengal. It can also be planted in gardens.
Morphology:-
It is a small beautiful tree and remains green all the time. The stem is straight, the bark is smooth and ash-coloured. The leaves are opposite, 7.5-12.5 cm long and 2.5-3 cm wide, oblong-lanceolate and have a sharp tip. Their upper surface is shiny and the lower surface is whitish and covered with dust. The veins are dense and clear. The new leaves are red in colour. Flowers- 2.5-7.5 cm in circumference, white in colour and fragrant, come in the spring season. They have four inner petals. The cluster of yellow saffron coloured Nagkesar inside these flowers is called Nagkesar. This is the real (yellow) Nagkesar which should be used in medicine. Its Stree Kesar- This Nagkesar seems appropriate because it has a hood like a snake. Fruits- 2.5 cm. Large, oval and somewhat pointed and surrounded by elongated sepals. 1 to 4 smooth, angular and brown colored seeds come out from each fruit.
Special:- There is confusion among people regarding Nagkesar. Most of the scholars have considered the Nagkesar bunch of flowers of the above mentioned Mesua ferrea as Nagkesar, whose properties and uses are given here. The flower buds of the tree Ochrocarpus longifolius, which grows in the south of this class, are sold in the name of red Nagkesar. Similarly, the fruits of Indian or Chinese cinnamon are sold in the name of black Nagkesar, whose properties are similar to those of cinnamon. One thing to note is that hemorrhoids are not mentioned in the classical properties of Nagkesar. It is used for hemorrhoids in Charak and in practice. Hemorrhoids are mentioned in the properties of Taj and its fruit is used in practice sometimes by the name of black Nagkesar. In the south, the fruits of Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. are sold by the name of Nagkesar. After the properties of Mesua ferrea, Ochrocarpus longifolius has been described.
Properties and Uses- Nagkesar is astringent, pregnancy-establishing, slightly hot, blood collector, astringent and digestive. Its bark and root are bitter and fragrant. Its bark is slightly astringent. Its raw fruits are fragrant, bitter and laxative.
(1) In case of dysentery, feeding it with butter and sugar candy stops bleeding. It is also applied with Shatadhauta ghee.
(2) Nagkesar is used in burning sensation in the anus, dysentery, vomiting, hiccups, thirst, bleeding, leucorrhoea and excessive sweating etc.
(3) It is given in cough with very much phlegm.
(4) Its paste and fine powder form is used externally in the treatment of excessive sweating.
Classical References:-
नागाह्वं नागकिञ्जल्कः केसरं नागकेसरम् | अहिपुष्पं हेमपुष्पं चाम्पेयं नागपुष्पकम् ||(कैयदेवनिघण्टु, ओषधिवर्ग 1345)
हिमाभं कनकं चेति दूरोहं नागरेणुकम् | नागपुष्पं कषायोष्णं तीक्ष्णं लघ्वामपाचनम् || (कैयदेवनिघण्टु, ओषधिवर्ग 1346)
रूक्षं पित्तकफच्छर्दिखुडकण्डूविसर्पजित् | हृल्लासस्वेददौर्गन्ध्यकुष्ठतृष्णाविषापहम् || (कैयदेवनिघण्टु, ओषधिवर्ग 1347)
एला तु द्राविडी प्रोक्ता बहुला त्रुटिसञ्ज्ञका | हेमपुष्पं तु नागाह्वं केसरं नागकेसरम् || (अष्टाङ्गनिघण्टु, अञ्जनादिगण 62)
नागपुष्पं मतं नागं केशरं नागकेशरम् | चाम्पेयं नागकिञ्जल्कं कनकं हेमकाञ्चनम् || (धन्वन्तरिनिघण्टु, शतपुष्पादिवर्ग 49)
नागकेशरमल्पोष्णं लघु तिक्तं कफापहम् | बस्तिरुग्विषवातास्रकण्डूघ्नं शोफनाशनम् || (धन्वन्तरिनिघण्टु, शतपुष्पादिवर्ग 50)
द्विपः सर्पः सुवर्णाख्यश्चाम्पेयो नागकेशरः || (पर्यायरत्नमाला 262)
नागकेशरकं नागं चाम्पेयं केशरं गजम् |नागकेशरकं रूक्षमुष्णं लघ्वामपाचनम् | दौर्गन्ध्यकुष्ठवीसर्पकफपित्तविषापहम् || (मदनपालनिघण्टु, कर्पूरादिवर्ग 30)
नागपुष्पमतं नागकेसरं नागकेसरम् | चाम्पेयं नागकिञ्जल्कं कनकं हेमकाञ्चनम् || (मदनादिनिघण्टु, चतुर्दशगण 20)
नागकेसरमत्युष्णं लघुतिक्तकफापहम् | वस्तिरुग्विषवातासृक् कण्डुघ्नं शीर्षरोपनम् || (मदनादिनिघण्टु, चतुर्दशगण 21)
किञ्जल्कं कनकाह्वं च केशरं नागकेशरम् | चाम्पेयं नागकिञ्जल्कं नागीयं काञ्चनं तथा || (राजनिघण्टु, पिप्पल्यादिवर्ग 176)
सुवर्णं हेमकिञ्जल्कं रुक्मं हेमं च पिञ्जरम् | फणिपुन्नागयोगादि केसरं पञ्चभूह्वयम् || (राजनिघण्टु, पिप्पल्यादिवर्ग 177)
नागकेसरमल्पोष्णं लघु तिक्तं कफापहम् | बस्तिवातामयघ्नं च कण्ठशीर्षरुजापहम् || (राजनिघण्टु, पिप्पल्यादिवर्ग 178)
चाम्पेयं नागकिञ्जल्कं कनकं हेमसञ्ज्ञकम् | हेमपुष्पं हस्तिपुष्पं नागपुष्पं च काञ्चनम् || (सरस्वतीनिघण्टु, चन्दनादिवर्ग 19-20)
नागपुष्पे नतं नागं केशरं नागकेशरम् | चाम्पेयं नागकिञ्जल्कं कीर्तितं हेमनामभिः || (सोढलनिघण्टु नामसङ्ग्रह (प्रथम भाग), शतपुष्पादिवर्ग 316)
नागपुष्पं मुरुङ्गश्च तथा वै नागकेशरम् | जाम्बूनदं हाटकञ्च केशरं पीतकेशरम् || (सौश्रुतनिघण्टु, एलादिगण 167)
तृट्छर्दिविषहृल्लासकफपित्तविसर्पनुत् | त्वग्दोषस्वेददौर्गन्ध्यनाशनो नागकेशरः || (माधवद्रव्यगुण, विविधौषधिवर्ग 138)
नागपुष्पेत्विभं नागं केशरं नागकेशरम् | चाम्पेयं नागकिञ्जल्कं कनकं हेमकाञ्चनम् | केशरं विषवीसर्परक्तहृल्लासकुष्टजित् || (लघुनिघण्टु 10-11)
हेमभिर्नाम सञ्ज्ञाभिर्नागकेशर उच्यते || (सिद्धसारनिघण्टु 44)