Medicinal use of Jamun tree or Indian blackberry

Jamun (Eugenia jambolan Linn.) is a large evergreen tropical tree native to India. It is distributed throughout India up to an altitude of 1800 meters. The habitat of Jamun tree starts from Myanmar and extended to Afghanistan. This tree is also found in other countries like Thailand, Philippines, and Madagascar. All parts of this tree are used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases.

Latin name: Syzygium cuminii (Linn.) Skeels, Eugenia jambolana Lam., S. jambolanum (Lam.)

Kingdom: Plantae, Order: Myrtales, Family: Myrtaceae, Genus: Syzygium, Species: S. cumini

Vernacular Names of Jamun

The Bark of Jamun

The bark of Jamun tree is astringent, sweet, refrigerant, carminative, diuretic, digestive, anti helminthic, febrifuge, constipating, stomachic and antibacterial. It is also a good blood purifier.

The bark of Jamun tree contains pentacyclic triterpenoid betulinic acid. Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring tri-terpenoid, which has demonstrated selective cytotoxicity against a number of specific tumor and active against a verity of infectious agent such as HIV, malaria, etc. It also shows immunomodulatory and anti- inflammatory activities. All parts of this tree contains sterol-sitosterol, which has same chemical structure with cholesterol. The bark is useful in lowering blood cholesterol and blood sugar. The presence of gallo- and ellagi-tannins in the bark is responsible for its astringent property.

Here are few remedies that can be done at home using Jamun bark to cure various diseases

• Diarrhoea (with blood): For arresting blood in diarrhea, pulverise bark of Jamun tree to get its powder. Mix this powder (2-5 gm) with honey (2 teaspoon) and take twice a day.
• Dysentery, chronic diarrhea: Prepare a decoction of bark, by boiling ten gram bark, in half liter water till water reduces to one fourth. Take this decoction (20 ml) thrice a day.
• Excessive bleeding, raktapitta: For stopping excessive bleeding, take Jamun tree bark powder (1/2-1 teaspoon) with milk.
• Sprue: Mix Jamun bark juice with goat milk and take few times a day.
• Ulcerative colitis: Mix dried bark powder (1 gm) with Kutuj bark and take twice a day. This reduces bleeding from intestinal ulcers.

The Seeds of Jamun

The seeds (Jamun Guthali) of Jamun tree contains alkaloid, jambosine, and glycoside jambolin or antimellin responsibLE for stopping diastatic conversion of starch into sugar. Seeds are also rich in flavonoids and phenolics, which are antioxidant and scavenges free radicals from the body. Jamun seeds are sweet, astringent to the bowels and good for treating diabetes.

Home Remedies

Here are few remedies that can be done at home using Jamun seeds to cure various diseases

• Bed-wetting: Take powdered seed (3-6 gm) of Jamun with water before going to bed to cure problem of urinating in bed while sleeping.
• Diabetes: Dry Jamun seeds in sun and prepare its powder. Take this powder (5-10 gms) thrice a day for at least one month.
• Diarrhoea: Pulverises dry Jamun seed (Guthali in hindi) and take with half cup of water thrice a day. This cures loose motion and blood.
• Dysentery: Take powdered seeds with sugar 2-3 times a day.
• Nocturnal emission: For curing nightfall, take Jamun seed powder (4 gm) with water twice a day.
• Sores, ulcer: Grind and extract juice of Jamun seeds. Apply this juice on the affected areas.
• Leucorrhoea: Take Jamun seed powder (1 tsp) with boiled rice water for a few days.
• Stone: Take powdered seeds with curd.

The Leaves of Jamun

Jamun leaves contain an essential oil with pleasant odour. This essential oil is reported to be responsible for the antibacterial activity of the leaves. The leaf extract shows antibacterial activity against Escherchia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The leaves also exhibits anti-oxidant activities due to the presence of phenolic compounds.

Home Remedies

Here are few remedies of Jamun leaves that can be easily done at home to cure various clinical conditions

• Female infertility due to ovarian or endometrium functional disorder: Prepare infusion of Jamun leaves in water and drink with honey or extract juice of fresh tender leaves of Jamun tree and drink. You may add honey in juice.
• Diarrhoea, dysentery, indigestion: Take tender leaves of Jamun tree and wash well to clean dirt and soil. Pound and extract one tablespoon juice. Add honey (1 teaspoon) and drink thrice times a day.
• Bleeding piles: Extract fresh Jamun leaves juice (10 ml) and take this juice with one glass cow milk for a weak to arrest bleeding in piles or prepare leaves chutney by adding water. Add jaggery and take to cure bleeding.
• Vomiting: Prepare decoction of handful of mango and Jamun leaves in half liter water and drink throughout the day to cure vomiting due to aggravated pitta.
• Kidney stones: Take fresh tender leaves of Jamun tree (10-15 gm). Wash and extract juice of these leaves. Add black pepper (3) powder in the juice and drink twice a day for a few days.
• Wounds: Apply paste of Jamun leaves on cuts and wounds for faster healing.
• Mouth Blisters: Prepare mouth wash of 5-6 Jamun leaves and gargle frequently to cure mouth blisters. Or chew fresh tender Jamun leaves.
• Nasal bleeding or Epistaxis, nausea and vomiting due to indigestion, gastritis: Extract 10-20 ml juice of Jamun leaves and drink to stop nasal bleeding.