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State Medicinal Plants Board (SMPB) Kerala

Cocos nucifera L.

  • Family: Arecaceae
  • Vernacular names: Thengu, തെങ്ങ് (Malayalam), Coconut tree (English), Narikela (Sanskrit), Nariyal (Hindi), Tenkai maram (Tamil)
  • Distribution: Cultivated throughout the tropics
  • Description: Tall palms with annular petiolar scars. Leaves pinnatisect; leaflets reduplicate, base narrow, apex tapering, acute. Spadix interfoliar. Spathe oblong, woody. Flowers yellowish-white, monoecious. Drupe ovoid or globose, trigonous; pericarp fibrous; endocarp stony; seed coherent with the endocarp.
  • Habit: Tree
  • Habitat: Cultivated
  • Flowering & Fruiting: Throughout the year

  • Parts used: Fruits, root, fruit, inflorescence and seed oil
  • Properties & Uses: Laxative, diuretic and cooling. Tender fruit cooling, used in thirst, fever, urinary disorders, diarrhea, dysentery, diabetes and general debility. Fruits are stomachic, laxative, diuretic and useful in burning sensation. Oil from endosperm is antiseptic and used in inflammation, skin tanning and hair loss. Roots are used as a diuretic, it is also used in uterine diseases, skin disorders and sore throat.
  • Systems of Medicines: Ayurveda, Folk, Unani,
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