Safed Musli

Safed Musli is a valued gift from the nature to human kind. Safed Musli is used in maufacture of many ayurvedic, alopathic and unanai medicines. Safed Musli have annual demand around 35000 MT while only 15000 MT is produced. Basically this divine herb was available in abundance in our forests but due to unplanned and improper use of forest properties, this herbs is in the verge of disappearance. Safed Musli has natural oil, which is good manure for good and robust health and ideal for mother hood. It is also used in production of Chawanprash. Safed Moosli is a Hindi term for botanical herb name Chlorophytum Borivilianum.

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 States which are listed in the rare 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 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. Now-a-days, 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. Safed Musli is a herb with sub-erect 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.

Technical Specifications

• 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
• Flowering : + P (3+3) A 3+3, G White colour
• Crop Maturity : 10 to 11 months duration

Names in other languages

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

Bio Chemistry of Safed Musli

• Steroid
• 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.