Medicinal Plants : Inula racemosa

Name

Biological Name

Inula racemosa
Compositae family

Other Names

Parts Used

Active Compounds

At least four sesquiterpene lactones have been isolated from Inula. These along with other ingredients account for the healing medicinal properties of this herb.

Alantolacton
Isoalantolactone
Dihydroalantolactone
Dihydroisoalantolactone
Beta sitosterol
Daucosterol
Inunolide

Remedies For

Pushkarmoola is beneficial for:

cardiovascular system
angina
dyspnea

Animal Research

In an experiment, rats were given Inula before and after experimental myocardial infarction. Animals given Inula had smaller increases in SGOT, LDH, CPK, CAMP, cortisol, pyruvate, lactate, and glucose than those in an untreated control group. 1

Clinical Research

Inula was studied in combination with Guggul (Commiphora mukul) using a 1:1 mixture. 200 patients with ischemic heart disease were used in the trial. Approximately 80 percent experienced dyspnea, and all 200 subjects had chest pain, with
positive indications of myocardial ischemia.
Guggul (Commiphora) is known for its lipid-lowering qualities. It may partially explain the lowering of total cholesterol by 39-percent in these patients. There was also a 51-percent decrease in triglycerides and 32-percent decrease in total blood lipids.

The other results were also equally remarkable. At the end of the six-month study period, 26 percent of the subjects had a complete restoration of normal ECG. Another 59 percent showed improvement in the ECG. Twenty-five percent of the subjects had no chest pain, and patients experiencing dyspnea fell from 80 percent at the beginning of the study to 32 percent. 2

In another trial, the efficacy of Inula was compared to nitroglycerin for the prevention of anginal symptoms. Nine subjects with ischemic heart disease was used in the study. All patients experienced chest pain and showed positive for myocardial ischemia by their ECG ST-segment depression on exertion. The Inula group received 3 grams root powder 90 minutes prior to testing. The controls were given nitroglycerin. All nine subjects had improvement in ST-segment depression on ECG. However, the improvement was greater for those who were given inula. 3

Description

Inula is an Ayurvedic herb. It grows in the hilly regions in the northwestern Himalayas.