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Bar or Bargad Ficus benghalensis L.

Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankaj.oudhia@usa.net
www.pankajoudhia.com

Scientific name: Ficus benghalensis L.
Synonyms: Ficus indica L
Family: Moraceae.
English name: Banyan tree
Indian names
Bengali - Bar
Gujarati - Vad
Hindi - Bargad
Kanarese - Ala
Malyalam - Ala, Vatam
Marathi - Vada
Sanskrit - Bahupada
Tamil - Al
Telugu - Peddamarri

Habitat: Monsoon and rain forests. Often planted throughout the forest tract of India. Hardy, drought resistance and withstands mild frost.

Botanical Description: Very large, fast growing, evergreen tree up to 3.0 meters, with spreading branches and many aerial roots. Leaves stalked, ovate-cordate, 3-nerved, entire, when young downy on both sides; petiole with a broad smooth greasy gland at the apex, compressed, downy; Fruit in axillary pairs, the size of a cherry, round and downy.

Propagation: Through seed, transplanting and stem-cutting.

Useful Parts: Bark, root-fibers, leaves, seeds, milky juice (i.e. latex).

Medicinal Uses and Properties: According to Ayurveda, it is astringent to bowels; useful in treatment of biliousness, ulcers, erysipelas, vomiting, vaginal complains, fever, inflammations, leprosy. According to Unani system of medicine, its latex is aphrodisiac, tonic, vulernary, maturant, lessens inflammations; useful in piles, nose-diseases, gonorrhea etc. The aerial root is styptic, useful in syphilis, biliousness, dysentery, inflammation of liver etc.

Other Uses
It is planted for soil conservation
Timber is used for well-curbs, furniture etc.
Suitable for paper pulp.
Leaf (Crude protein 9.63%) lopped for fodder
Fruits are used to prepare Shurbut traditionally.

Other Links
Doomar or Gular (Ficus glomerata) as medicinal herb in Chhattisgarh, India
http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/127_doomar.html

Interactions with the traditional healers of Chhattisgarh Plains, India specialized in use of Bar (Ficus benghalensis, family: Moraceae) as medicinal herb
http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/141_bar.html

Interactions with the traditional healers of Chhattisgarh Plains, India, specialized in use of Pipal (Ficus religiosa) as medicine
http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/142_pipal.html

Resource Person:
Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankaj.oudhia@usa.net
www.celestine-india.com/pankajoudhia

Table 1. Major species of Ficus in India.

Species	Synonyms	Common names
Ficus auriculata	F. roxburghii; F. macrophylla	English - Eve's Apron Hindi - Timla, Tirmal
Ficus benghalensis	F. indica	English - Banyan Hindi - Barh, Bargad
Ficus benjamina var. comosa	F. comosa
Ficus carica		English - Fig Hindi - Anjeer
Ficus glomerata	F. goolereea; Covellia glomerata	English - Cluster fig Hindi ö Gular Chhattisgarh - Doomar
Ficus hispida		Hindi - Kathumbar, Konea - dumbar.
Ficus krishnae		English - Krishna's Fig, Krishna's butter cup Hindi - Makhan Katori
Ficus lucescens	F. lacor; F. infectoria	Hindi-Pilkhan, Plaksha.
Ficus microcarpa	F. retusa; F. benjamina	Hindi - Chilkan
Ficus palmata	F. virgata; F. caricoides	Hindi - Anjiri, Khat Guleri
Ficus religiosa	Urostigma religiosum	English-Bo-tree Hindi - Pipal, Asvattha
Ficus rumphii	F. cordifolia; Urostigma cordifolium	Hindi - Gagjaira, Pakar
Ficus semicordata	F. cunia	Hindi - Khewanua
Ficus tsjakela	F. venosa	Hindi - Pilkhan
Ficus virens var. sublannceolata	F. Saxophila var. sublanceolata
Ficus virens	F. infectoria var. lambertiana	Hindi - Pilkhan
Ficus altissima

Table 2. Major differences in three major species of Ficus

	Ficus benghalensis	Ficus religiosa	Ficus carica
Common Indian names
Gujrati	Vad, Vadlo	Jari, Pipers, Pipal	Anjir
Hindi	Bar, Bargad, Bargat	Pipal, Pipali	Anjir
Kanarese	Ala, Alada, Goli, Vata, Nyagrodha	Arani, Ashwatha mara, Pippala, Ragi	Anjura, Simeyam
Marathi	Vad	Pimpal	Anjir
Sanskrit	Avaroha, Bahupada, Bhringi, Jatalo, Vat	Ashvatha, Bodhidruma, Pippala, Shuchidruma, Vrikshraj, yajnika	Kakodomar, Anjir
Botanical Differences
General Plant	Large evergreen tree with spreading branches, sending down to the ground many aerial roots, which afterwords develop into separate trunks.	A medium sized, glabrous tree	A small tree or large bush. Branches round, green or resset, covered with a coarse shortdown
Leaves	Coriaceous, 10-20x5-12.5 cm, ovate to elliptic, cordate or rounded base, shining above.	10-15x10-12 cm, ovate-round, entire, coriaceous, shining, apex long tailed.	Rough on the upper side coarsely downy beneath, cordate, 3-5 lobed or almost entire, coarsely sirrated
Fruit	Globose, with male, female and gall flowers.	Receptacles sessile, paired, smooth, depressed, globose, dark purple when ripe.	Solitary, axillary, more or less pear shaped or almost round, sweet, succulent and pleasant to the taste.
Medicinal Uses and Properties
Ayurveda	Astringent to bowels; useful in treatment of biliousness, ulcers, erysipelas, vomiting, vaginal complaints, fever, inflammations, leprosy etc.	All parts cooling and useful in diseases of blood, vagina, uterus, leucorrhoea, burning sensation, biliousness, ulcers Ripe fruits are alexipharmic, good for foul taste, thirst, heart disease, Root good for sout whereas rooot bark good in stomatitis.	Fruit cooling, useful in diseases of head and blood, leprosy, nose bleed etc.
Unani	Its milky juice is aphrodisiac, tonic, vulnerary, maturant, lessens inflammations, useful in piles, nose-diseases, gonorrhoea.	Root bark aphrodisiac, good for lumbago; bark useful in inflammations and glandular swellings of neck; Fruits purgative, aphrodisiac, checks vomiting.	Roos tonic and useful in leucoderma, ringworm; Fruit antipyretic, purgative, alexiteric, aphrodisiac, lithotriptic, useful in inflammation, weakness, paralysis, thirst, liver and spleen diseases, pain in chest etc. Milky juice expectorant, iuretic, etc.