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Nard (plant) facts for kids

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Nard (plant)
Nardostachys grandiflora.jpg
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Genus:
Nardostachys
Species:
jatamansi
Synonyms
  • Fedia grandiflora Wall. ex DC., nom. inval.
  • Fedia jatamansi Wall. ex DC., nom. inval.
  • Nardostachys chinensis Batalin
  • Nardostachys grandiflora DC.
  • Patrinia jatamansi D.Don
  • Valeriana jatamansi D.Don, nom. illeg.

Nardostachys jatamansi is a flowering plant of the valerian family that grows in the Himalayas. It is a source of a type of intensely aromatic amber-colored essential oil, spikenard. The oil has, since ancient times, been used as a perfume, as a traditional medicine, and in religious ceremonies. It is also called spikenard, nard, nardin, or muskroot. It is considered endangered due to overharvesting for folk medicine, overgrazing, loss of habitats, and forest degradation.

Description

Nardostachys jatamansi is a flowering plant of the honeysuckle family that grows in the eastern Himalayas, primarily in a belt through Kumaon, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. The plant grows 10–50 cm (4–20 in) in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers. It is found at an altitude of 3,000–5,000 m (9,800–16,400 ft). Rhizomes (underground stems) can be crushed and distilled into an intensely aromatic amber-colored essential oil, which is very thick in consistency. Nard oil is used as a perfume, an incense, a sedative, and an herbal medicine said to fight insomnia, birth difficulties, and other minor ailments.

Phytochemistry

Preliminary research on the chemical components of Nardostachys jatamansi indicates the plant contains:

  • acaciin
  • ursolic acid
  • octacosanol
  • kanshone A
  • nardosinonediol
  • nardosinone
  • aristolen-9beta-ol
  • oleanolic acid
  • beta-sitosterol

In spikenard

Nardostachys jatamansi may have been used as an ingredient in the incense known as spikenard, although lavender has also been suggested as a candidate for the spikenard of classical times.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Nardostachys jatamansi para niños

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