Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants

Black plum

Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: syzygium
Botanical name: Syzygium cumini
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
Sanskrit: Jambu
English: Black plum, Java plum, Jamun
Hindi: Jamun, Jaman
Malayalam: Njaval

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Black plum plant is originally from Indonesia and India. Indian mythology describes the Indian subcontinent as an island, ‘situated in the centre of the world’, called Jambudweep. Because of a majority of Jamun (black berry) trees, this island was named as Jambudweep. An evergreen tropical tree, 50 to 100 ft. tall, with oblong opposite leaves that are smooth, glossy and having a terpentine smell.
The leaves are antibacterial, and are used for strengthning the teeth and gums. The fruit and seeds are sweet, acrid, sour, tonic, and cooling, and are used in diabities, diarrhoea and ringworm. The bark is astringent, sweet sour, diuretic, digestive and anthelmintic.