Gajapippali (Gajpipal)

Gajapippali (Hindi Gajpipal, Gajpipar; botanical name Scindapsus officinalis), "elephant pippali", follows chavya in the Bhavaprakasha Nighantu. Two verses record that physicians call the fruit of chavya gajapippali, give its other Sanskrit names, its properties and the conditions it is used in (pp. 274–275, verses 68–69). The Hindi commentary treats it as a separate climbing plant of the arum family and describes the dried fruit slices sold in the market.

Names

The text says that physicians give the name gajapippali to the fruit of chavya. Its other Sanskrit names are Kapivalli, Kolavalli, Shreyasi and Vashira (pp. 274–275, verses 68–69). Valli means a creeper.

Properties

• Rasa (taste): pungent (katu)
• Virya (potency): hot (ushna)
• Actions: increases the digestive fire (agni)
• Doshas: removes vata and kapha

(pp. 274–275, verses 68–69)

Conditions it is used in

According to the text, gajapippali is used in diarrhoea (atisara), breathlessness (shvasa), disorders of the throat and worms (krimi) (pp. 274–275, verses 68–69).

Fruit of chavya, or a plant of its own?

The verse follows the physicians who take gajapippali to be the fruit of chavya. The commentary notes that later scholars treat the two as different plants, which is why both are counted among the "doubtful" (sandigdha) drugs; it describes gajapippali as Scindapsus officinalis, a separate climber (p. 274). Chavya, in turn, is linked with pippali and pippalimula: the text gives it pippalimula's properties.

The plant

The Hindi commentary of this edition describes the plant (p. 275):

• Botanical name: Scindapsus officinalis Schott, also called Pothos officinalis. Family Araceae, the arum family.
• Where it grows: a climber found on sal trees in moist, flat land in the Himalayan regions from Sikkim eastward, in Bengal, Chittagong and Burma, and in the Siwalik forests.
• The climber: a fleshy, round stem an inch or more thick. Large, dark green, egg-shaped leaves, 5–10 inches long and 2½–6 inches wide, on stalks 3–6 inches long whose base wraps the stem like a sword's sheath.
• The fruit: juicy and fleshy, about 6 inches long and 1¼–1½ inches across, hanging down, with a pointed tip.
• Part used: the fruit, dried.
• Kitchen use: the leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
• Regional names: Hindi Gajpipar, Gajpipal; Bengali Gajpipal; Marathi Gajpipali, Thorpipali; Kannada Adkebilu balli; Gujarati Moto pipar; Telugu Enuga pippali; Tamil Anai tippili; Punjabi Gajpipal; Santali Dare jhapak; Malayalam Atti tippali, Ana tippali.

Recognising it in the market

What the market sells as gajapippali is the dried fruit cut across into slices. The commentary describes them (p. 275):

• round pieces about an inch across and a quarter of an inch thick, brown, with no smell;
• soaked in water they swell and turn soft;
• seeds sit in the middle, with fine needle-like grains around them;
• the seeds are kidney-shaped, smooth and brown, larger than hemp seeds.

Uses in the commentary

The commentary adds these notes on the dried fruit (p. 275):

• Properties: sharp (tikshna), brings on sweating, aromatic, relieves vata, kills worms, stimulating, digestive and strengthening.
• Uses: in diarrhoea with undigested matter (amatisara), breathlessness and cough when kapha is in excess. Taken as an infusion (phanta), it is said to loosen phlegm so that it comes out.
• External use: the Santal people apply it as a local paste in joint disorders (amavata, sandhivata).
• As an aromatic: it is added to other medicines to give them fragrance.
• Constituents: about 14½% ash, gum and an alkaloid.
• Dose given: infusion (1 part in 10), 2–6 drams.

Sources

• Bhavamishra, Bhavaprakasha Nighantu, Haritakyadi varga, verses 68–69: pp. 274–275 (scan and text on SarvaKosh)
• Vidyotini Hindi commentary, on chavya and gajapippali: p. 274; notes on the plant: p. 275

This page describes what the granth says. It is not medical advice; consult a qualified vaidya before using any remedy.