Artemisia pallens

Cultivation

It is commercially cultivated for its fragrant leaves and flowers. It has two distinct morphological types, one in which the plants are short in stature and flowering sets in early, and the other in which plants are tall and flowering sets in later. It grows from seeds and cuttings and reaches maturity in four months. The plant is woody in the lower part of the stem, but with yearly branches. It is mostly grown in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Artemisia pallens is a preferred food for the larvae of a number of butterfly species.

Chemistry

Davanone, davan ether, davana furan and linalool are the major constituents of davana oil. Methyl cinnamate, ethyl cinnamate, bicyclogermacrene, 2-hydroxyisodavanone, farnesol, geranyl acetate, sesquiterpene lactones, and germacranolides are also found. The amount of davanone and linalool decreased while those of (Z)− and (E)−methyl cinnamate, (E)−ethyl cinnamate, bicyclogermacrene, davana ether, 2-hydroxyisodavanone, and farnesol increased from flower heads emergence stage to the initiation of seed set stage. Five compounds, (Z)− and (E)−methyl cinnamates, (Z)− and (E)−ethyl cinnamates, and geranyl acetate, were identified for the first time in davana oil.

Uses

The leaves and flowers yield an essential oil known as oil of Davana. Several species yield essential oil and some are used as fodder, some of them are a source of the anthelmintic chemical santonin. Davana blossoms are offered to Shiva, the God of Transformation, by the devotees, and decorate his altar throughout the day. Oral administration of high doses aqueous/methanolic extract from the aerial parts of the plants was observed to reduce blood glucose levels in glucose−fed hyperglycemic and alloxan-treated rabbits and rats. Davana is rarely used in cooking, but in India it is sometimes used in herbal teas for flavor.

Uses of Davana oil

• Davana oil is used in making perfumes of sweet and fruity fragrances.
• Davana leaves and stalks are used in making bouquets, garlands, fresh or dry flower arrangements.

Hinduism

Dauna leaves are found abundantly on the Wadi Ratnagiri Mountain, in the city of Kolhapur. The mountain is home to Shri Jotiba. The plant is exclusively used as an offering to this deity at this temple.

Dhavana is also used in Rathothsavam of sri khadri Narasimha swami temple, kadiri. There people throw dhavanam on the Ratham, while moving through the maadaveedhulu.

References

References

1. (2000). "A new germacranolide from Artemisia pallens". Fitoterapia.
2. "Artemisia pallens - Davana".
3. (1996). "Effects of Artemisia pallens Wall. On blood glucose levels in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats". Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
4. (2021-05-13). "Contributions from Mexican Flora for the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus: Molecules of Psacalium decompositum (A. Gray) H. Rob & Brettell". Molecules.
5. "Давана, бледная полынь, артемизия: всё о растении Artemisia pallens и его применении".