Nalpamaram Bonsai Trees

Ficus varieties are good candidates for bonsai creation, especially for beginners. They grow fast, are hardy plants, can survive heavy rain, sun, can withstand scarce watering, repotting & wiring and so on.

Two ficus varieties that are grown generally by bonsai enthusiasts are Ficus benghalensis and Ficus religiosa. These, and other ficus varieties are lactiferous, meaning they secrete a milky fluid (latex) when the plant or plant parts (branches or leaves) are cut. While working on these plants, one has a nagging doubt whether this latex is cancerous if it comes in contact with the skin and whether there is a need to wear gloves, especially after some hoax reports recently that the latex of house plants such as Euphorbia is cancerous. A bit of googling and, alas, the info says that plants Ficus benghalensis and Ficus religiosa actually are medicinal plants and are part of “Nalpamaram”!

Nalpamaram (“Nal-pal-maram”, meaning four trees with milky sap) is an ayurvedic concoction made up of barks of four ficus trees viz. Ficus racemosa, Ficus microcarpa, Ficus religiosa and Ficus benghalensis. Bark, leaves and fruits of these trees are used separately or in combination for treatment of various ailments.

Nalpamaram trees are shown below. They are part of Nakshatra plants also.

Nalpamaram is commonly used for treatment of skin diseases such as ringworm infestation, and for cosmetic purposes. It is also used to treat acne and blemishes. Water boiled with Nalpamaram is considered good to bathe pregnant women and new mothers, and is safe for small babies also. Nalpamaram water has anti-septic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties. Nalpamaradi choornam (powder), Nalpamaradi tailam (oil), Saribadyasavam, and Chandanasavam are some Nalpamaram ayurvedic formulations. Nalpamaram soap is touted to be good against skin diseases especially in children.