Common Bur Flower or Kadamb (Anthocephalus Cadamba/कदंब) is a large, evergreen tree with beautiful & unique flowers. It is a fast growing tree with a broad crown and is even planted sacredly near temples. It has several references in mythology and Ayurveda.

In the numerous sets of Thousand Names of the Goddess, there is a name common to many of them: “kadamaba vana vAsinI” — “She Who Resides in the Forest of Kadamba Trees.” This name is applied to Lalita Mahatripurasundari, Kali, Bala, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Durga, Matangi, and others. This reoccurence shows the essential unity among all the various Goddesses. It also shows that the Goddess is immanent and trascendant in the universe, for the forest of kadamaba trees is said to symbolize the universe. She resides in and among the trees, but She is not the trees Herself.

Not only important to the Goddess, the kadamba also figures prominently in Vaishnava literature. Lord Krishna and his divine consort Radha are always depicted as standing under the kadamba tree. Krishna is shown as playing the flute and around Him are assembled the cows, the peacock, the gopis and Radha. The leaves of the kadamba tree are said to reflect the glow of the gopis’ love for Krishna.

Legend has it that Krishna was also the slayer of Kaliya Naga, a giant snake whose breath was so venomous that all creatures that came within a few miles of it were destroyed. This serpent inhabited a poisonous lake and the only thing that grew on a small island in the middle of the lake was the kadamba tree. The story goes that the kadamba was able to survive there because Garuda, Vishnu’s eagle, had perched on it when he flew back from heaven after drinking the immortal nectar (amrita). As he sat on a branch of the Kadamba, he wiped his beak against its branches and a drop of amrita fell on the tree, making it immortal.

The parts used in medicine are the root bark and leaves, although sometimes the fruits are used.

In Ayurvedic medicine the bark of the tree is used for blood-related diseases. In traditional medicine in the Indian subcontinent the bark and roots of the tree are used for fevers, colic, muscular pains, burning sensations in the stomach, poisoning, female problems, coughs, oedema and as an aphrodisiac.

Wounds and ulcers may be dressed with bruised leaves to promote healing and to alleviate pain, while extracts of the fruit are used to kill pain and as anti-inflammatory agents. While these properties have been confirmed by scientist, they have not yet discovered which of the substances or combination of them are responsible for these actions.

The stem and the bark of the tree contain flavonoids, glycosides and tannins as well as a number of alkaloids, and an extract has been shown in vitro, to  be effective in killing worms.

Order here:  Kadamba Fruit

Note: We advise that natural products be consumed in their pristine form, without any preservatives or processing chemicals, unless a preparation is advised by an Ayurvedic doctor.

It gives maximum health benefits and keeps costs low (compared to the huge medical costs due to modern diseases.)

For more about Kadamba tree:

http://herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.in/2011/06/kadamb-mitragyna-parvifolia-health.html

http://www.indiadivine.org/content/topic/1016077-immortal-kadamba-tree/