Know your Herbs

Hadjod is a famous perennial climbing herb. It is also known as Cissus quadrangular and belongs to family Vitaceae. The stem of the plant has visible nodes and internodes. The leaves are glabrous i.e. smooth in appearance and ovate in shape. The flowers of the plant are greenish white in colour. Its fruits vary from dark purple to black in colour and contain many seeds.

The shrub is native to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India, but is also grown in Arabia, South East Asia and Africa. Hadjod is also called bone setter. In Sanskrit, it is called Asthisamharaka, i.e. the one that protects the bone and saves it from destruction. It has pungent and sweet taste and is hot in nature, supports bones and enhances joint healing and gives strength to the bones.

All parts of the plant including leaves, root and stem have medicinal characteristics.

The chemical constituents of the plant include ß-carotene, calcium oxalate, 3-ketosteroids,         ß-sitosterol, ascorbic acid and flavonoids like, kaempferol and quercetin. The stem also has two unsymmetrical tetra cyclic tritrepenoids and two main natural steroids along with d-amyrone and amyrin. It also possesses moisture, fat, protein, fiber, wax, mucilage, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. High content of ascorbic acid imparts strong anti-oxidant property to Hadjod. All these natural ingredients provide different physiological and metabolic functions to the herb.

Chemical analysis of Cissus quadrangular shows high quantity of ascorbic acid or vitamin C, anabolic steroids, carotene and calcium,  which may be responsible for certain prominent medicinal actions, such as anti-osteoporotic, gastro-protective, anti-ulcer, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant and bone healing, cholinergic or regulation of central nervous system activity.

Benefits of Hadjod

• Speeds up Bone Healing: Hadjod accelerates the process of bone healing after a fracture and strengthens the bones as well. Early ossification and remodelling of bones have been reported with hadjod. It acts by stimulation of metabolism and increased uptake of minerals like calcium, sulphur and strontium by the osteoblasts in fracture healing.
   
• Reduces Fracture Pains: Hadjod lessens the swelling and the pain associated with fracture when consumed after suffering from one.
   
• Improves Calcium Absorption: Hadjod is efficient in supporting calcium collection or calcium uptake in the bones.
   
• Promotes Excessively Quick Recovery for Specific Fractures: It is especially helpful in the quick recovery of maxillofacial skeletal which takes longer time compared to other fractures.
   
• Improves Bone Strength: In osteoporosis, hadjod hastens the process of bone mineralization and osteoblast formation process.  Hadjod can support bone mineral density, if used on regular basis.
   
• Lessens Risk of Fracture: Hadjod can lessen the osteoporosis-related fractures. It works like a natural oestrogenic substance and improves bone strength.
   
• Increases Mobility of Bones: It imparts quick recovery, healing and mobility to the bones and joints which have suffered during fracture.
   
• Helps in Post Exercise Injury: It is an effective remedy in tennis elbow and shin splints. It also helps in recovery and healing of muscles after exercises.
   
• Provides Improvement in Inflammatory Process: It is helpful in acute and chronic inflammatory and painful ailments such as osteoarthritis, arthritis, headache and other muscular pain and problems. It is rich in Vitamin C, an anti-oxidant, which may block the inflammatory reactions thereby lessens the swelling and pain.
   
• Improves Overall Health: It helps to treat gastro intestinal disorders, irregular menstruation, asthma, metabolic syndrome, type- 2 diabetes and weight loss.
   
• Fights Obesity: It is especially effective in obesity, abnormal lipid metabolism, including oxidative-stress related ailments, since the herb also has adaptogenic effect.
   

Hadjod is used in plant-based supplement called Bonboost Tablet by Preserva Wellness as it provides strength to bone and improves over-all health.