Medicinal Uses
Peganum harmala is used as an analgesic and antiinflammatory agent.
In Yemen, it was used to treat depression, and it has been established in the laboratory that harmaline, an active ingredient in P. harmala, is a central nervous system stimulant and a "reversible inhibitor of MAO-A (RIMA)," a category of antidepressant.
Smoke from the seeds kills algae, bacteria, intestinal parasites and molds. Peganum harmala has "antibacterial activity," including antibacterial activity against drug-resistant bacteria.
The "root is applied to kill lice" and when burned, the seeds kill insects. It also inhibits the reproduction of the Tribolium castaneum beetle.
It is also used as an anthelmintic (to expel parasitic worms). Reportedly, the ancient Greeks used the powdered seeds to get rid of tapeworms and to treat recurring fevers (possibly malaria).
Peganum harmala is an abortifacient, and, in large quantities, it can reduce spermatogenesis and male fertility in rats.
It is given in a decoction for laryngitis.
Read more about this topic: Peganum Harmala
Famous quotes containing the word medicinal:
“by Spoon Rivergathering many a shell,
And many a flower and medicinal weed—
Shouting to the wooded hills, singing to the green valleys.
At ninety-six I had lived enough, that is all,
And passed to a sweet repose.”
—Edgar Lee Masters (1869–1950)
“Our Indian said that he was a doctor, and could tell me some medicinal use for every plant I could show him ... proving himself as good as his word. According to his account, he had acquired such knowledge in his youth from a wise old Indian with whom he associated, and he lamented that the present generation of Indians “had lost a great deal.””
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)