Plant Name           Meyna laxiflora Robyns     

                Common name:  

                English:           Muyna    

                Marathi:           Huloo, Aliv/ Alav 

                Hindi :              Pundrika  

                Known in Jawhar Taluka: Huloo, Aliv/ Alav    

Identification guide

General

Small armed trees; spines 1.5-2 cm long.

Fruits

Fruit is of the size of a cherry, turbinate, smooth, yellow when ripe, succulent.

Leaves

Ovate-oblong leaves are arranged oppositely or whorls of three. Strong spines are bent at an acute angle. Stipules present.

 Flowers

Flower cymes occur in leaf axils, fascicled on a short peduncle. Flowers are small, greenish-white.

Seeds    

Habit / Habitat

It is a large common shrub or a small tree and commonly found in evergreen forests.        

Occurrence

1. Availability of the plant species in India: Western UP, West Bengal, North-east India and Deccan peninsula
2. Global distribution:It is distributed in tropical and subtropical region all over the world."

Edible parts

Uses: World wide or other places of India

The tribes from Satpuda forests uses its foilage as food.

Used by tribal community in Jawhar

Fruits are consumed directly or in form of pickle.

Method  of consumption

Medicinal traditional use:

1. The Chothe Tribe Bishnupur and Chandel districts of Manipur uses fresh leaves to prepare chutney. it is believed that it will enhance blood purification and skin texture and fruits for constipation.
2. Tribes of Nashik district uses leaves with coconut oil as a paste to cure swelling.

Traditional recipe known to tribal community in Jawhar Taluka :

Pickle:

Ingredients required

1. Aliv 1kg
2. Fenugreek seeds 12 gm
3. Mustard seeds 70 gm
4. Red chili powder 40 gm
5. Salt 150 gm
6. Asafetida 30 gm
7. Oil 250 ml
8. Turmeric powder 20 gm
9. Coarsely grinded
10. Cloves, black pepper, fennel seeds 20 gm

Preparation of fruits  -:

• Collect the fresh fruits from the Aliv plants. Wash it and dry the fruits.
• Cut it in to 8 halves longitudinally and remove the seeds.
• Mix the fruit pieces with 3% salt thoroughly and kept for drying on clean cloth in sunlight for 2-3 days.
• Use these pieces for pickle preparation after rehydration with water.

Method of pickle preparation from Aliv

• Apply some quantity of turmeric and salt keep in sunlight for 5-6 hr. Heat the half quantity of oil in pan and add all the coarsely grounded spices, red chilli, and turmeric powder and prepare seasoning.
• Remove the pan from gas and pore on the fruits which are prepared by applying salt and turmeric powder followed by partially sundried.
• Heat remaining quantity of oil and cool it for some time and pore in the glass jar containing the fruits.
• Take care that all pieces of fruits are dipped in oil to avoid the spoilage of pickle during storage.
• Keep the bottle in cool and dry place. Avoid the direct sunlight on it"

Nutritional and medicinal information

Nutritive Significance:

The leaf extract of Meyna laxifora demonstrated the presence of carbohydrates, proteins, alkaloids, steroids, saponins etc.

Pharmaceutical significance

1. Fruit pulp has antioxidant activity.
2. Based on a survey research, it has been revealed that the plant has been used extensively by the tribes for various purposes such as stomach ache, menstrual problems, urinary problems and diarrhoea by oral administration of the powder of leaf, seed or even fruit. However no scientific experiments have been carried out by the researcher to validate the same. "

Harvesting and preserving

Jawhar tribal        

Usually fruits and leaves are harvested.

Fruits are preserved in the form of pickles.

Other

Fruits are also dried after applying salt and kept in plastic bags.

Propagation and Storage

Season of collection: Flowering: March-May

How to grow it?

Direct sowing of seeds

Method of storage:

Seeds as propagules

Other uses

The tribes of Khasi Garo and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya uses fruit mainly as food and rarely in brewing of wine.

The Meitei community of the Imphal valley uses leaves as ingredient for preparation of Chinghi an herbal shampoo. 

Classification

Kingdom:               Plantae

Division:                 Spermatophyta

Sub-division:         Angiospermae

Class:                      Diocotyledonae

Sub-Class:              Gamopetalae

Series:                    Inferae

Order :                   Rubiales

Family :                  Rubiaceae

Genus :                  Meyna

Species :                 laxiflora

References

1 http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Muyna.html

2 http://biosciencediscovery.com/Vol%205%20No%201%20Jan%202014/Ashwini%2019-23.pdf

3http://globalresearchonline.net/journalcontents/v35-2/05.pdf

4 http://www.irjponline.com/admin/php/uploads/2230_pdf.pdf

5 Haripyaree A, Guneshwor K and Damayanti M. Evaluation of antioxidant properties of some wild edible fruit extracts by cell free assays. Electronic Journal of Environmental, Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 2010; 9: 345-350

6 http://www.ijpbs.net/cms/php/upload/3415_pdf.pdf