Linn.Family: Umbelliferae; Apiaceae.
Habitat: Native to Europe; cultivated in northwestern Himalayas and in hills of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and southern India.
English: Celery.Ayurvedic: Ajmodaa, Ajmoda, Ajmodikaa, Dipyaka.Unani: Karafs.Siddha/Tamil: Celery-keerai.Folk: Ajmodaa.Action: Anti-inflammatory (used in rheumatic disorders, inflammation of the urinary tract), diuretic, carminative, nervine, sedative, antiemetic, antispasmodic, antiseptic (used in bronchitis, asthma, as well as liver and spleen diseases), emmenagogue. Essential oil from seeds—tranquilizer, anticonvulsant, antifungal. Seeds are used in the treatment of chronic skin disorders including psoriasis.
Key application: As diuretic. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)Celery yields an essential oil (3%), major constituent being d-limonene (50%) and phathalides and beta-seli- nene; coumarins, furanocoumarins (bergapten); flavonoids (apiin and api- genin). Alkaloid fraction of seeds showed tranquilizing activity in animals. The phthalides are sedative in mice and exhibit antiepileptic activity in rats and mice. The aqueous extract of the celery has been shown to reduce adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats, and to be hypotensive in patients as well as animals. The tincture of the plant exhibits drop in blood pressure accompanied by an increase in urine output.
Health Encyclopedia