Lajjalu

We all take our Triphala religiously before bedtime, lather our bodies with sesame oil in the morning, perhaps take some Ashwagandha here and there, and some of us can't get a good night's sleep without taking our Bramhi. So, i wanted to shed some light on Ayurvedic herbs and thailams (oils) that are not as well known. Since i like rooting for the underdog, i'm going to present a "random herb" from time to time. Today, the lucky winner is.... drum roll please..... Lajjalu!

The Lajjalu flower may look like a party animal, but this isn't the case.

The botanical name for Lajjalu is Mimosa pudica. Pudica means “shy” or “bashful” in latin, and is commonly used in the French language as “pudique”, which mostly means “shy about your body”, Adam&Eve-style. The reason for this is that the leaves of the Mimosa pudica actually close up when touched or when exposed to heat. Moreover, every night the leaves close up and the flower shrivels up to the point where it looks dead. But every morning, they open up to perfection all over again. Apparently this cycle is called “sleep movement” and it’s not too different from when we wake up all shriveled up (although it takes us longer than the rise of the sun to become beautiful flowers again).

Here’s a short video I found on youtube, which shows how the leaves react when touched.

And here is a video that shows Lajjalu's sleep movement, although the music in this one is questionable.

Lajjalu balances Pitta and Kapha (it is bitter, astringent, cold and dry). It’s commonly used for ailments such as diarrhea or hemorrhoids (charming!) because it helps clot stools and blood, but it is also used for gynecological diseases, skin problems, and healing wounds (internal and external). I’ve also heard that is was an aphrodisiac, although I’ve tasted it before out of curiosity and I didn’t find that it had an effect. Also, it may have bitter properties, but it didn’t taste bitter to me. What I did find, though, is that the powdered herb forms a gummy substance in your mouth, resembling that of chewing gum. You can chew it for hours! If they ever made Ayurvedic chewing gum, it would be make out of this stuff. Of course, I’m sure Ayurveda advises against tricking your system into thinking it’s going to receive food.

For those overachievers out there:

Guna: Laghu, Ruksha

Rasa: Tiktha, Kashaya

Veerya: Sheetha

Vipaka: Katu

Though I have to say, consult an Ayurvedic physician before taking lajjalu, as different parts of the plant are used for different ailments. Oh come on! You knew that Ayurveda wasn’t going to be that simple!