- Muktaphala
-
The muktaphala or muktā-phala[1] is a plant, also known as the cobra lily,[2] of the genus Arisaema.[3] It is also known as the 'liberating fruit' and the 'pearl fruit.[4]
Somewhat similar in appearance to a husked maize ear,[5] the berry is strongly psychoactive, and is highly favored in Nepal as a means of creating visionary trips. The rhizome of Arisaema utile is used against cancer,[6] possessing "anti-proliferative activity ... to prevent cancer".[7]
References
- ^ so spelled in the Encyclopaedia Indica, p. 132)
- ^ Described (with a photograph of its fruit) on p. 164 of Christian Rätsch et al. : Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas. Rochester (VT), 2002.
- ^ Arisaema utile (Sikkim cobra lily)
- ^ Figuratively, a 'pearl', though this latter is also spelled /mukta-hala/-- Linda Beth Hess : The Bijak of Kabir. Oxford U Pr, 2002. p. 179, n. 34.2
- ^ Arisaema tortuosum
- ^ www.siu.edu
- ^ www.physoc.org
Categories:- Sanskrit words and phrases
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
