Saturday, December 3, 2011

Reinwardtia indica

One sees these bright yellow flowers in gardens during winter. It is the Basant, or Reinwardtia indica. This flower is also known as Pyoli in Gharwal. Being a native of the Himalayan foothills, this plant has many medicinal properties. It is used in Indian traditional medicine for the treatment of paralysis. The crushed leaves and stems of the plant are used to heal a suppurating wound.
The people of Gharwal associate Pyoli with a folk tale. According to the tale, Pyoli was a beautiful forest maiden, brought up by the plants, animals and birds of the forest. One day, a wounded prince got lost in the forest. Pyoli looked after him, and he fell in love with her. He married her and took her to his palace. But Pyoli missed her forest friends so much that she fell ill and died. The prince buried her in her beloved forest. After some time this plant with cheerful yellow flowers came up from the place she was buried.

5 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful flower and beautiful story!

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  2. Beautiful photos! The lore of traditional medicine is particularly fascinating for me as I work in the medical field. There is so much knowledge that can be potentially lost with deforestation, urbanisation and a move towards western drugs for all diseases.

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  3. plz tell me from where i get these flowers and plant

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