Danti

Botanical name of Danti is Baliospermum montanum. This Indian medicinal plant commonly grows in waste places, fields and shady grounds habitats in disturbed deciduous and semi-evergreen forests all over most of India upto 1000 m altitude in the Himalayas and 1800 m in the Western Ghats. Danti has different names in different areas of India like in Bengali Danti, Hakum. Hakun; in Gujarati: Dantimul, Jamalagota; in Hindi: Danti, Hakum, Hakun; in Kannada: Danti, Kaduharalu, Naa-gadanti; in Malayalam: Dantika, Katala-vanakku, Nakadanti, Nervalam; in Marathi: Danti; Oriva: Banjado, Donti; in Punjabi: Dant. Hakun; in Sanskrit: Danti, Nikumbha, Udumbaraparni; in Tamil: Kattamanakku, Niradimuttu, Peyamanakku and in Telugu: Adavi-aamudamu. Ettadundiga, Kanakapata, Kon-damudamu, Nelajidi.

Danti has many upward shoots arising from its base. Leaves of Danti are variable in shape. The upper leaves are small, lanceolate and the lower leaves are large, ovate, hairy, palmately lobed and sinuatel toothed with a pair of stipular glands at the apex. Danti has small greenish yellow flowers borne in axillary racemes or contracted panicles with either all male or male with a few female flowers in lower positions. Danti fruits are obovoid, 3-lobed, usually hairy with oblong, smooth, shiny, long, mottled seeds having an oily endosperm. Danti yields flowers and fruits from November to March allover central India.

The black and thick barked roots of Danti plants are consumed either alone or with other plant drugs, in Ayurved medicine. Danti roots are pungent, anthelmintic, heating, diuretic. It can be used to cure skin diseases, wounds, piles, jaundice, dropsy and enlarged spleen. Danti roots are used to make Dasamula pan-chakoladhi kashayam, an Ayurvedic preparation used for treating dropsy and as a poultice for wounds. In northern Orissa, the powdered roots of Danti are consumed to get rid of indigestion. The tribal people of Andhra Pradesh consider the latex extracted from the cut stem and branches of Danti useful to cure body ache and joint pains. Danti seed oil is hydrogogue and cathartic fro which it is applied to treat rheumatism. The powdered seeds of Danti act a drug purgative. So larger than one seeds of Danti can be poisonous to adults if taken as drugs.

The seeds of Baliospermum montanum are described as drastic. Like croton seeds they are boiled in milk before use. The root of the plant is considered cathartic.

Health Benefits of Danti
They are used in treatment of anasarca, jaundice, constipation, piles, calculus, scabies, skin disorders, suppurative ulcers and diseases caused by the vitiation of Kapha and Pitta. The paste of roots is applied externally on painful swellings and piles.

Dose of Danti in Medicine
Both are much used in diseases where purgatives are indicated. The following are a few examples of prescriptions containing these medicines.

Naracha Rasa: Take mercury, borax and black pepper, one part each, sulphur, ginger and long pepper 2 parts each, seeds of Baliospermum montanum 9 parts; powder the ingredients and make into 2 grain pills with water. These are given in constipation and tympanites.

Danti Haritaki: Take 25 large chebulic myrobalans and enclose them in a piece of cloth. Then take the roots of Baliospermum montanum and Ipomcea Turpethum (trivrit), each 200 tolas, water 64 seers, boil them together till the water is reduced to 8 seers. Strain the decoction, take out the chebulic myrobalans and fry them in 32 tolas of sesamum oil. To the strained decoction add 200 tolas of old treacle; then boil till reduced to the proper consistence for a confection. Now add to the mass the following substances, namely powdered root of Ipomcea Turpethum (trivrit) 32 tolas, long pepper and ginger, each 8 tolas and stir them well; when cool add 32 tolas of honey, cinnamon, cardamom, leaves called tejapatra and the flowers of Mesua ferrea (nagakesara) each 8 tolas, and prepare a confection. The chebulic myrobalans should be kept imbedded in the medicine. 2 tolas of the confection and one of the chebulic myrobalans are to be taken every morning

Gudashtaka: Take Danti, trivrit and plumbago roots, black pepper, long pepper, ginger and long pepper root, equal parts in fine powder; treacle, equal in weight to all the other ingredients and mix. Dose should be about a tola every morning in flatulence and retained secretions, anasarca, jaundice, etc.