Punarnava (Boerhavia diffusa is one of the wonders of Ayuverdic medicine. It is often associated with its rasayan (longevity promoting) properties. However, this herb is not just a staple of Indian medicine. Chances are you could find it in the Americas, Africa and some other countries of Asia. This plant displays shows a lot of promise as its properties are not yet fully researched. Root of this plant is the most commonly used part of the plant, however leaves, stems and seeds are also medicinal, but most likely not readily purchasable. Leaves of punarnava have been shown to possess potent antidiabetic effects, decreasing blood sugar and activity of hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes, potentially regenerating ß-cells of pancreas and providing overall support. They are also known to be fairly good antioxidants (increasing levels of SOD, GSH, CAT and GPx).

Ghetula (Marathi: घेटूळ)

Taste: good, not bitter

Constituents of the whole plant: flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, triterpenes, lipids, lignans, carbohydrates, proteins, glycoproteins, amino acids, fatty acids

Specific constituents of the root: amino acids (11.54%), borhavone, borhavine, boerhavisterol, boerhadiffusene, diffusarotenoid, boerhavilanostenyl benzoate, boeravinone A (rotenoid), boeravinone B-H, quercetin-3-O-robinobioside, ecdysterone, eupalitin-3-galacostyl(1-2)-glucoside, caffeoyl acid, punarnavine I and II, nentriacontane, ß-sitosterol, ursolic acid, punarnavoside, triacontane, boerhavic acid, boerhavin, liriodendrin, eicos-4-ene, 5-methyleicos-4-ene, quercetin and its derivatives, kaempferol, coccineone B

Benefits

Anti-inflammatory properties:

  • Lowers IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α
  • Inhibits expression or activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9

Hormonal effects:

  • Potential anti-estrogenic effect (hydro-alcoholic extract) through decrease of estradiol levels

Antifibrotic properties:

  • Bioactive flavonoids alleviate heart fibrosis through inhibition of expression of TGF-ß1 and collagen deposition
  • Antifibrinolytic effects of the ethanol extract in the case of uterine fibrosis are mostly attributed to punarnavines and punarnavoside

Insecticidal properties:

  • May be effective against Uncinula tectonae (may prove to be effective against other Uncinula species that cause powdery mildew)

Anti-cancer properties:

  • Effective against pulmonary cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, cervical cancer
  • Protects against skin papillomagenesis

Antioxidant properties:

  • Increases glutathione (GSH) levels
  • Antioxidant (strong against superoxide radicals, while the leaf is more active against DPPH and NO radicals)

Hepatoprotective properties:

  • Protects against hepatotoxicity of carbon tetrachloride, thioacetamide, ibuprofen, acetaminophenon (lowers elevated GOT, GTP, ALP and bilirubin)

Nephroprotective properties:

  • Protects kidneys and nephrocytes, potentially reduces kidney stone formation

Antibacterial properties:

  • Both water and ethanol extracts have been proven to be active against Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp., Streptococcus aureus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Microsporum gypseum, Chrysosporium tropicum, Trichophyton terrestre, M. fulvum, M. canis

Antiviral properties:

  • Ethanol extract has potent antiviral effects when it comes to plant viruses as it contains a special glycoprotein effective against mosaic viruses and thus RNA bacteriophages

Antidiabetic properties:

  • Hypoglycemic effects, lowers cortisol and peroxidation

Radioprotective properties:

  • Protects against γ-radiation

Immunomodulatory properties:

  • Punarnavin increases white blood cell counts and proliferation of splenocytes, thymocytes and bone marrow cells accompanied with lowered inflammatory cytokines

Miscellaneous properties:

  • May slow down the process of cataractogenesis of eyes
  • inhibits contractions caused by acetylcholine (methanol)
  • anti-lymphoproliferative effects
  • Helps fight pulmonary tuberculosis
  • May slow down the process of cataractogenesis of eyes
  • Methanol extract protects against seizures and epilepsy

Potential toxicity

Punarnava is not teratogenic and no signs of toxicity have been observed at dose of 5g/kg, but there is always a potential for chronic side effects. Water extract of the leaf may have negative effects on testes, but not testosterone (which is worrying as some cultures eat the leaves regularly). Do be careful when using the tincture of this plant as it may have some adverse effects on thyroid gland. I did not find it to be thyroid disruptive when using high doses of the water extract, so use it as a hot infusion, rather than a decoction (depends on how loosely cut the root is).

Final verdict: I recommend the root of this herb to anyone, but mostly women suffering from PCOS and estrogen dominance. Water extracts of the root may be beneficial for both men and women although not to be recommended in high doses due to their potential thyroid disruption. I do not recommend eating the leaves as they may alter the oestrous cycle in women and damage testes in men. In truth, the whole herb is an endocrine disruptor, so do be careful with its use. Although not severely toxic in nature, its use should be limited.

References

1. Chopra, M., Srivastava, R., Saluja, D. & Dwarakanath, B. S. Inhibition of human cervical cancer cell growth by ethanolic extract of Boerhaavia diffusa Linn. (punarnava) root. Evidence-based Complement. Altern. Med. 2011, (2011).

2. Ao, A., Kp, I. & Aj, A. Studies on Some Effect of the Aqueous Extract of the Leaves of Boerhavia Diffusa on the Ovaries. www.scholarena.com.

3. Jayavelu, A. et al. Hepatoprotective Activity of Boerhavia Diffusa Linn. (Nyctaginaceae) against Ibuprofen Induced Hepatotoxicity in Wistar Albino Rats. International Journal of Pharma Research & Review vol. 2 (2013).

4. Adenubi, O. ., Raji, Y., Awe, E. . & Makinde, J. . The effect of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Boerhavia diffusa Linn. on semen and testicular morphology of male wistar rats. Sci. World J. 5, (2010).

5. Aslam, M. S. An Update Review on Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile of genus Boerhavia. Int. J. Complement. Altern. Med. 6, (2017).

6. Mishra, S., Aeri, V., Gaur, P. K. & Jachak, S. M. Phytochemical, therapeutic, and ethnopharmacological overview for a traditionally important herb: Boerhavia diffusa Linn. Biomed Res. Int. 2014, 808302 (2014).

7. Thirunavoukkarasu, M. & Nayak, P. A review of the plant Boerhaavia diffusa: its chemistry, pharmacology and therapeutical potential. The Journal of Phytopharmacology vol. 5 www.phytopharmajournal.com (2016).

8. Rajpoot, K. & Mishra, R. N. Boerhaavia diffusa roots (Punarnava mool)-Review as Rasayan (Rejuvenator / Antiaging). Int. J. Res. Pharm. Biomed. Sci. 2, (2011).

9. Lal, V., Verma, A. & Verma, A. Development and Evaluation of Ophthalmic Drop and In-situ Gel from Roots of Boerhaavia diffusa. Br. J. Pharm. Res. 11, 1–20 (2016).