The Healing Herb of India: Aegle marmelos (Bael)

Aegle marmelos (Bael)

Bael (Aegle marmelos, family: Rutaceae) is one of the sacred trees of the Hindus used in religious rituals. It is a medium sized deciduous tree with sharp axillary thorns. Bael fruit is greenish brown & woody that turns yellow when ripe. The rind is hard and woody. It is considered a vast source of several pharmacologically active principles and compounds commonly used in home remedies against multiple health ailments.

Bael tree occurs from the sub-mountainous regions to the dry plains of throughout India. Though it is native to India but has been naturalized throughout most southeastern Asian countries. Bael is commonly known as holy fruit, bel, sirphal, bili, belpatri, Bilvapatra, shivadrum, shreepahal, sadaphal, stone apple, wood apple, Belada Hannu & Bilva. Leaves, fruit, flowers, stem and roots of this tree are used as ethno medicine against various ailments.  In this post, let’s learn about the herbal remedies with Bael for treating a number of common diseases-

Herbal Remedies with Bael (Aegle marmelos)

Leaves of  Aegle marmelos (Bael)

• For fever, make a paste of 50 g bael leaves & apply the same over head and chest daily till it cures. Another remedy is to boil 100 g bael leaves with water, filter and take it orally twice daily for 2 days.
• To cure cough and cold, administer 1 tsp of dried bael leaves powder with water thrice a day.
• To expel intestinal worms, taking 1 tbsp of dried pulp of bael fruit for 5 days thrice daily, is helpful in curing the problem.
• A paste prepared from 2 g bael flowers and 250 mg black pepper is said to cure vomiting, diarrhea & excessive thirst.
• For diabetes, administering 4-5 bael leaves extract with honey is said to be beneficial in controlling sugar.
• For amoebic dysentery, the pulp of half of the dried bael fruit taken with water twice daily for 3 days relieves the same.
• For abdominal discomfort, boil 50 g bael bark, 25 g flower of caraway & 25 g dried ginger. Administer this formulation twice daily on an empty stomach for for 2-3 days.
• To get relief from stomachache, powdered fruit pulp taken with milk twice daily is said to be beneficial in curing the ailment.
• Consuming 5 bael leaves in the morning on an empty stomach for a week is said to indigestion and constipation.
• Boil 250 g of ripe bael fruit 1 liter of water along with 250 g of sugar & cook till it thickens. Store in a container. Mix 2 tbsp of this syrup to a glass of water and administer to the patient suffering from constipation, or diarrhea. The same remedy is also effective against bleeding piles.
• The pulp of roasted raw bael fruit taken with curd is believed to benefit the patient suffering from bleeding piles.
• Boil 10 bael leaves in ½ liter of water & take this decoction twice daily for 5 days to cure bed wetting.
• To treat mouth ulcers, open and boil raw bael fruit in water and gurgle with the extract 4-5 times a day.
• For urinary disorders, consuming 4-5 bael leaves daily for a week is said to treat the ailment.
• For jaundice, a tsp of bael leaves juice taken for a week daily is said to effective in curing the ailment.
• To treat body odour, prepare a paste of bael leaves in water and apply over body. Wash off after two hours. Continue this treatment daily for 7 days to get rid of body odour.

(Toxicity: The leaves are said to cause abortion and sterility in women. The bark is used as a fish poison in the Celebes. Tannin ingested frequently and in quantity over a long period of time, is antinutrient and carcinogenic.)