Trichopus zeylanicus
Encyclopedia
Trichopus zeylanicus is a small herbaceous plant, which is the only species of its family, the Trichopodaceae. Formerly it was attributed to the Dioscoreaceae family. The leaves are about 20 centimeters long and grow from a rhizome. The shape of the leaves can be highly variable even within one location, but the most common shape is cordate. The herb grows on sandy soil near rivers and streams in shady places in lowland and intermediate altitude forests. It flowers year long and the fruits are thought to be dispersed by water. The unusual flowers are purplish black.
Distribution: Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Southwestern Ghats mountains of South India.
It has been in use for centuries by the Kaani
tribal community of the Agastya Koodam ranges in Kerala
, India
, for its medicinal properties.
The medical properties of Trichopus zeylanicus were discovered by modern Indian scientists only recently on a scientific expedition to the Agasthia Hills in the Western Ghats
in December 1987. They noticed that their guides, belonging to the Kaani tribe, were very energetic in sharp contrast to themselves. They had walked for several hours with the scientists, but the difference was that they ate the fruits of a wild plant (Trichopus zeylanicus) as they walked. It was found from the Kaani men that it was indeed the fruits they were eating that made them energetic, a fact about the plant well known to the tribe for ages. The malayalam name of the plant is "Arogya pacha", literally meaning "the green that gives strength".
Detailed chemical and pharmacological investigations showed that the leaf of the plant contained flavonoid glycosides, glycolipids and some other non-steroidal compounds with profound adaptogenic and immmuno-enhancing properties. The fruits showed mainly anti-fatigue properties.The Tropical Botanical Gardens Research Institute (TBGRI) was successful in developing a scientifically validated and standardized herbal drug, based on the tribal knowledge. The drug was named as Jeevani and was released for commercial production in 1995 by Arya Vaidya Pharmacy. ‘Jeevani’ has been patented by TBGRI in India and the license for manufacture of the drug has been given to Coimbatore Arya Vaidya Pharmacy. They have the exclusive right for manufacture and sale of the drug in India and abroad. Jeevani is also sold in U.S as ‘Jeevani’ by NutriScience Innovations (CT) and Dragon Herbs and as ‘Jeevani Jolt’ by Viva Vitamins, CA. who sell it for roughly fifty times its retail price in India.
The Indian commercial and scientific interest in the herb caused misguided suspicions of bio-piracy in Sri Lanka, where it is called Bimpol, and exports of the herb were forbidden in 1998.
Distribution: Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Southwestern Ghats mountains of South India.
It has been in use for centuries by the Kaani
Kääni
Kääni is a village in Nõo Parish, Tartu County in eastern Estonia....
tribal community of the Agastya Koodam ranges in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, for its medicinal properties.
The medical properties of Trichopus zeylanicus were discovered by modern Indian scientists only recently on a scientific expedition to the Agasthia Hills in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in December 1987. They noticed that their guides, belonging to the Kaani tribe, were very energetic in sharp contrast to themselves. They had walked for several hours with the scientists, but the difference was that they ate the fruits of a wild plant (Trichopus zeylanicus) as they walked. It was found from the Kaani men that it was indeed the fruits they were eating that made them energetic, a fact about the plant well known to the tribe for ages. The malayalam name of the plant is "Arogya pacha", literally meaning "the green that gives strength".
Detailed chemical and pharmacological investigations showed that the leaf of the plant contained flavonoid glycosides, glycolipids and some other non-steroidal compounds with profound adaptogenic and immmuno-enhancing properties. The fruits showed mainly anti-fatigue properties.The Tropical Botanical Gardens Research Institute (TBGRI) was successful in developing a scientifically validated and standardized herbal drug, based on the tribal knowledge. The drug was named as Jeevani and was released for commercial production in 1995 by Arya Vaidya Pharmacy. ‘Jeevani’ has been patented by TBGRI in India and the license for manufacture of the drug has been given to Coimbatore Arya Vaidya Pharmacy. They have the exclusive right for manufacture and sale of the drug in India and abroad. Jeevani is also sold in U.S as ‘Jeevani’ by NutriScience Innovations (CT) and Dragon Herbs and as ‘Jeevani Jolt’ by Viva Vitamins, CA. who sell it for roughly fifty times its retail price in India.
The Indian commercial and scientific interest in the herb caused misguided suspicions of bio-piracy in Sri Lanka, where it is called Bimpol, and exports of the herb were forbidden in 1998.