Description

Semal Phool — the dried flowers of Bombax ceiba, the red silk cotton tree — is a distinct product entry from the Semal Musli (root) item in the catalog. Bombax ceiba, a large spiny deciduous tree of the family Malvaceae, is native to the tropical and subtropical forests of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The tree produces magnificent crimson, five-petalled flowers on bare branches in winter and early spring — a spectacular floral display characteristic of the dry deciduous forest landscape. The flowers, known as Shalmali Pushpa in classical Ayurveda, are documented in the Charaka Samhita for preparations associated with haemostatic conditions, menstrual regulation, and blood-purifying formulations. The astringent tannin content of the dried petals and their traditional application in wound-healing preparations are also referenced in ethnobotanical surveys of central India.