Medicinal herbs of Chhattisgarh. India having less known traditional uses . XXXXVIII : Ghuiyan (Colocasia esculenta, family Araceae)

Research Note - Pankaj Oudhia
© 2001,2002,2003 Pankaj Oudhia - All Rights Reserved

Ghuiyan is a rhizomatous herb, cultivated in different parts of India for its edible, starchy and tuberous rhizomes. In Chhattisgarh, it is also under cultivation. Its young leaves are used as vegetable. In many parts of Chhattisgarh it occurs naturally in wastelands also. According to the experts, it is an escape from the cultivated fields. For the traditional healers of Chhattisgarh, Ghuiyan is valuable medicinal herb. Through the ethnobotanical surveys conducted in different parts of Chhattisgarh, I have noted that in almost all parts it is under cultivation. I have written a lot on common herbs used in treatment of obesity in my previous articles but not written much on herbs for slender natives. The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh recommend Ghuiyan for this purpose. According to them, its regular consumption increases the fat in body. Many healers use it as aphrodisiac also, but as other promising and cheap alternatives are available it is used less frequently. In general, the healers instruct the patients having the problem of constipation to avoid its use as vegetable. The traditional healers specialized in treatment of Leucoderma, also suggest the patients to avoid its use. It is considered as a boon for the patients with problems of respiratory system. In general the healers encourage the natives to work hard while its daily consumption, as it digest very slowly. I am giving the details of its botany and reported medicinal uses, I have noted from reference literatures. Botanically Ghuiyan (Colocasia esculenta syn. C. antiquorum var. Esculenta syn. C. esculenta var. Antiquorum syn. Arum esculentum syn. Arum colocasia ) it is a tuberous perennial herb with a group of under ground farinaceous corms; Leaves with sheathing leaf base and erect petiole bearing a thinly coriaceous peltate-ovate, cordate lamina; Spadix shorter than the petiole, appendix much shorter than the inflorescencs. According to Ayurveda, leaf is styptic, stimulant and rubefacient and useful in treatment of internal bleeding, otorrhoea, buboes etc. Corm is laxative, demulcent and anodyne and useful in treatment of Somatalgia, alopecia, piles etc. The natives of Chhattisgarh use Ghuiyan as chips also. Chips are fried in cooking oil and served but due to the restriction of its use to different patients, its use is loosing popularity among them. In many parts of the world, Ghuiyan is under cultivation as commercial crop and natives of these parts are consuming it without any precaution. I am expecting that the traditional medicinal knowledge about this herb, our healers and natives have, can be of great use for them.

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