Benefits of Irumbanpuli OR A . CARAMBOLA

Name [Malayalam]:	Chaturappuli, Irumbanpuli, Karappola
Name [English]:	Carambola Apple, Karazola, Coromandal Gooseberry, Star Fruit
Hindi:	Kamarang
Tamil:	Tamarattai
Sanskrit:	Karmaranga, Karuka

Ayurvedic:	Karmaranga
Unani:	Khamraq, Karmal
Siddha:	Tamarattai
Folk:	Kamarakh

Int'l Name:	AVERRHOA CARAMBOLA
Botanical Name:	Averrhoa carambola Linn
Chinese:	Gooseberry
Family:	Oxalidaceae; Averrhoaceae.
Habitat:	Native to Malaysia

Distribution:             Cultivated in throughout the many warmer-parts of India,

                                     especially in Kerala.

AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES:

 
Rasa:  Amla 
Guna: Guru, Snigdha
Virya:  Ushna

PLANT DESCRIPTION: 

A small evergreen plant grows up to 10 meters in height. Leaves compound, alternate, with leaflets 5-11, acute; flowers purple in short racemes, axillary, fruits 5 angles, yellowish fleshy berries, contain arillate seeds.

      
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES:

 
Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, pitta, skin diseases, poison, pruritus, worm infestations, diarrhea, vomiting, hemorrhoids, intermittent fever, over perspiration and general debility. 

Useful Parts:    Leaves, Fruits and Roots. 

Action:-	Root-	Antidote in Poisoning.
	Leaf and shoot-	Applied externally in ringworm, Scabies,
	Flower-	Chickenpox - vermicidal.
	Fruit-	Laxative, Anti-dysentric, Anti-phlogistic, Febrifuge, Anti-inflammatory, Antispasmodic (used in hepatic colic, bleeding piles).
	Seeds-	Galactogenic; in large doses act as an emmenagogue and cause abortion.

The fruits are a fairly good source of iron but deficient in calcium. They also contain oxalic acid and potassium oxalate. The presence of fluorine is also reported. A wide variation of Vitamin-C content (1.2–2.5 mg/100 g) is recorded from different places in India.

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Source: Various

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