Remove Parasites with Vidanga
Vidanga, Your Hero Herb
Latin name: Embelia ribe
Character: The Remover
I think of Vidanga as the movie character who is the vigilante hero. A Christian Bale, “Batman” character or a Denzel Washington in “Man on Fire.”
That is because while Vidanga has a unique and useful action on the colon it’s taste is very pungent and it is best used in a limited number of situations. Those are when you have to remove some hard to defeat bad guys.
Removing Parasites
Vidanga is great for removing parasites, bacteria and fungus in the intestines. This eliminates the symptoms of bloating and indigestion that accompany them. As the intestines heal from being overrun by these foreign invaders it will lead to improvements in elimination, especially constipation.
A seemingly unrelated action of Vidanga is its effect on the skin. Both itching and vitiligo can result from an overactive immune system. If the body has been on high alert for extended periods of time trying to remove unwanted guests then itching and vitiligo may result. Vidanga is useful for stopping itching of the skin from a rash and helping to halt pigment disorders such as vitiligo.
Guna (Qualities): Light, sharp and dry
Rasa (Taste): Pungent, bitter, astringent
Vipaka (Post-digestive effect): Warm
Virya (heating or cooling): Pungent
Prabhava (special action): Vitiligo
Main Action: Digestive stimulant, carminative, contraceptive, laxative, de-wormer
Action on Doshas: Decreases Kapha and Vata; Increases Pitta
Action on Dhatus: plasma, blood, fat and reproductive
Description
Just like our vigilante hero Vidanga does not work alone and is best in combination with other herbs, but it does most of the work. It’s great for removing parasites like worms and other invaders by strengthening the digestive system. It’s warm pungent qualities induce the natural healing capacity of the body to eliminate unwanted visitors. Vidanga has a wide spectrum of actions, as it has been found that each part of the plant can be used to treat different conditions.
- The powdered berries calm the large intestine easing constipation, colic, dyspepsia, flatulence and piles.
- A paste of the powdered berries treats fungal infections such as ringworm.
- The fresh juice is a diuretic and laxative.
- The fresh leaves alleviate sore throats and dry-out mouth.
- The fresh root decreases flatulence.
Main Uses:
- Indigestion, flatulence, abdominal distension
- Arthritis, used topically
- Removing parasites, worms (round worms and thread worms), fungus, bacteria
- Reducing mucus
- Abdominal tumors
- Leprosy
Precautions:
High pitta, pregnancy