Botanical name – Inula racemosa

Family name – Asteraceae

English name – Inula, Indian elecampane, Sun spear

Common name – Inula, Pushkarmool

Synonyms – Pushkarmula, Paushkar, Pushkar, Padmapatra, Kashmira, Kushtabheda, Shwasari, Sugandhika.

Habit – Perennial shrub

Part Used: roots and flowers

Ayurvedic Energetics: pungent, bitter/heating/pungent

KB-P+

Tissues: all except reproductive

Systems: respiratory, nervous, digestive

Actions: expectorant, antispasmodic, carminative, analgesic, rejuvenative

Indications: colds, asthma, cardiac asthma, pleurisy, dyspepsia, cough, nervous debility

Precautions: high Pitta conditions generally

Preparation: decoction, powder (250 mg to 1 g), paste

Pushkarmool also known as ELECAMPANE is one of the best rejuvenative tonics for the lungs. It is effective for reducing excess Kapha and strengthening the muscles of the lungs, promoting longevity of the lung tissues. It helps to absorb water from the lungs and reduce swelling. It is one of the best expectorants and cough-relievers and has a calming action on the digestive system, the mind, and the female reproductive organs.

As a diaphoretic and expectorant it can be taken with such herbs as ginger, pippali, cinnamon and cardamom. As a tonic and rejuvenative it can be taken with such herbs as Ashwagandha, comfrey root or marshmallow. It may be used externally as a paste for muscular pain, one-half ounce may be simmered in one pint of water for 20 minutes and taken three times a day after meals, with honey, as a lung tonic.

Common Uses of Pushkarmool –The root is medicinal and considered specific for cough, dyspnoea, asthma, pleurisy, anemia, tuberculosis, and chest pain especially pre-cordial pain. The aqueous extract of the fresh or dry roots is given orally in rheumatic pains, diabetes, and liver problems. Externally a paste or liniment is used for relieving pain. The root is also used in veterinary medicine as a tonic. The root forms an important ingredient of several herbal formulations for heart diseases and inflammatory conditions of the spleen and liver. It is also used in obesity problems.