Description

Ficus religiosa, the sacred Peepal or Bo tree, is a large, semi-evergreen fig of the family Moraceae, indigenous to the tropical and subtropical forest margins and riverbanks of the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. The tree holds extraordinary cultural significance as the species under which Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment (the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya) and as a venerated tree in Hindu tradition where it is associated with Vishnu and Brahma. Botanically, it is notable for its characteristic cordate leaves with long drip-tip apices and its epiphytic or lithophytic germination habit. The bark, known as Ashvattha in Sanskrit, is documented in the Charaka Samhita and Bhavaprakasha Nighantu in formulations associated with skin conditions, urinary disorders, and wound care, and as a Shukrala (reproductive tonic) herb.