Introduction

Safed Musli is a herb with sub-erect lanceolate leaves and tuberous root system. It can grow upto a maximum height of 1.5 ft. Tubers can grow upto a depth of 10". Safed Musli is a tiny annual herb that grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates with altitudes upto 1500 meters. Safed Musli has its origin in the India Subcontinent.

Safed Musli is an annual herb with Tubers, Crown, Leaf and Flowers as different parts. Naturally occurs in forests of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra Stateswhich are listed in the endangered species of India. There are around 256 varieties of Chlorophytum in the world which are yet known. In India, we have around 17 of them, of which, borivilianum has got a good market demand.

Safed Musli belongs to family of Liliaceae. It was originally grown in thick forest in natural form, and is a traditional medicinal plant. Mainly its tuberous roots are used in ayurvedic medicines. Roots are used for the preparation of nutritive tonic used in general sexual weakness. These roots contain spermatogenetic, spermatorrhoea and chronic leucorrhoea due to some chemical content. It is partly a herb with sub-erect lanceolate leaves. Nowadays, there is a very vast demand all over the world (Specially gulf countries and cold countries). Due to its vast demand it is very costly.

Technical Specifications

• Hindi name of the Crop - Safed Musli
• Botanical name - Chlorophytum Borivilianum
• Application / Use - Tonic
• Growth of roots - Tubberous
• Seeds : Black triangular two seeds present in single locule
• Class : Monocotyledons
• Series : Coronarieae
• Family : Liliaceae
• Genus : Chlorophytum
• Species : Borivilianum

Nature and Discription of Safed Musli

• Carbohydrates (35-45%)
• Proteins (5-10%)
• Fibre (25-35%)
• Saponins (2-20%)
• Alkaloids (15-25%)

The Saponins and Alkaloids present in the plant are the primary source of its significant medicinal properties.

Farming of Safed Musli

During the last decade, some systematic efforts have been made to popularise the cultivation of musli, which shows that its cultivation is much more profitable than many of the traditional crops.

Vernacular Names

• Shaqaqule - (In Arabic)
• Dholi Musli - (In Gujrati)
• Khiruva - (In Hindi - U.P.)
• Safed Musli - (In Marathi)
• Shedheveli - (In Malyalam)
• Swetha Musli - (In Sanskrit)
• Swetha Musli - (In Telgu)
• Taniravi Thang - (In Tamil)