Custard Apple, Bullock’s Heart

HERBAL GARDEN

रामफल (Ramphal)

Classification

Synoyms

रामफल, सीताफल, कपित्थफल, कृष्णप्रपौण्डरीक

Habit

Small deciduous tree or large shrub, up to 8–10 meters in height.

Habitat

Native to tropical America; cultivated and naturalized throughout India, especially in warm regions like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

Morphology

Stem: Small tree with spreading branches, smooth or slightly fissured bark.
Leaves: Simple, alternate, oblong-lanceolate, glabrous, aromatic when crushed.
Flowers: Yellowish-green, fragrant, solitary or in clusters, drooping.
Fruits: Heart-shaped or round, brownish when ripe, with a reticulated surface and soft creamy pulp inside.
Seeds: Shiny, dark brown, smooth and hard.

Chemical Composition

Alkaloids: Anonaine, liriodenine, isocorydine, reticuline
Acetogenins: Annoreticulin, bullatacin, squamocin
Flavonoids, tannins, and saponins
Vitamins: Vitamin C, B-complex
Minerals: Calcium, phosphorus, iron

Guna-Karma

Rasa- Madhura (Sweet), Kashaya (Astringent)
Guna- Guru (Heavy), Snigdha (Unctuous)
Virya- Sheeta (Cold)
Vipaka- Madhura (Sweet)
Karma- Balya (Strength promoting), Vrishya (Aphrodisiac), Jvaraghna (Antipyretic), Raktaprasadana (Blood purifier), Krimighna (Anthelmintic), Dahaprashamana (Relieves burning sensation).
Doshakarma- Pacifies Pitta and Vata doshas.

Medicinal uses

Fruit: Nutritive, cooling, good for heart, anemia, and general weakness.
Leaves: Used externally for abscesses, ulcers, and wounds; decoction acts as febrifuge.
Seeds: Anthelmintic (used externally for lice and worms, but toxic if ingested).
Bark: Astringent, used in diarrhea and dysentery.
Root: Used as an antidote for poisonous bites and in toothache.

Useful Part

Fruit, Leaves, Bark, Seeds, Root

Doses

Fruit pulp: As food or 50–100 g
Leaf juice: 10–15 ml
Bark decoction: 30–50 ml
Seed powder (external use): As paste for skin disorders

Important Formulation

Annona leaf decoction — for fever and skin infections
Ramphal lepa — external application for abscess and inflammation
Custard apple tonic — used as a nutritive preparation in Ayurveda

Shloka

रामफलं मधुरं स्निग्धं बल्यं पित्तहरं लघु।
रक्तपित्तहरं शीतं कृमिघ्नं सुखदं फलम्॥

Hindi Name

रामफल, सीताफल (कुछ क्षेत्रों में अंतर के साथ)

English Name