BHIMSENI KAPOOR - भीमसेनी कपूर - CAMPHOR - CINNAMOMUM CAMPHORA

Camphor is an evergreen tree which is found in many states of India. Its trees are also found on the hilly areas of Dehradun. Besides India, its trees are also found in China, Japan and Borneo. Its trees are 100 feet high and 6 to 8 feet broad. The bark of its stem is rough and dusky in color towards the upper side but smooth frCom the inside. Its leaves are smooth, fragrant, light yellow and green. Its leaves are 2 to 4 inches long and separate to one another. Its flowers are small and white in the beginning. Its flowers blossom in bunches. The ripe fruits of camphor are black in color. Its seeds are small. Every part of camphor tree has fragrance. If someone cuts the bark of camphor lightly, a type of gum comes out from it which is called “Camphor” after drying.

There are many kinds of camphor according to its place, shape and colour but Bhimseni, Chinese and Indian camphor are very popular. Bhimseni camphor is very good and has been using as a medicine since ancient time. It is heavier than Chinese camphor and sinks in water easily whereas Chinese camphor does not sink in water. If Chinese camphor is mixed with peppermint and caraway, all material changes into a liquid form. Indian camphor is received from the plants of basil camphor (a kind of basil plant). The leaves of this plant have a lot of fragrance like basil. One can obtain 61 to 80 percent camphor from its leaves. Its seeds have 12.5 percent light yellow oil.

According to Ayurveda: 

Camphor is sweet, pungent, bitter, greasy, spicy and cool natured. Its juice is bitter. It is useful for curing tridoshas (vatta, bile and phlegm) because of its bitterness. It quenches thirst and enhances digestion power. It abates fever and increases appetite. It stimulates heart and brings sweat out. It brings the phlegm out and gets rid of pain. It enhances sperm count and reduces swelling. Its use gets rid of stomach diseases. It calms to the sexual and uterus excitement. It ends stomach worms and gets rid of backache. It is used for the treatment of boils-pimples, epistaxis, tuberculosis, typhoid, loose motions, cholera, asthma,arthritis, tetnes, whopping cough and lungs’ problems. It destroys worms and gets rid of joints’ pain. Heart pulsations normalize by taking camphor.  

Precautions: 

Its over quantity stays poisonous effect on the body and because of which such types of symptoms appear as stomachache, vomiting, illusion, delirium, paralysis, retention of urine, numbness, insanity, unconsciousness, night blindness, blueness on the body, swelling on the face, diarrhoea, impotence, sleepiness, weakness and blood deficiency.

Useful in various diseases :

1. Skin diseases: