Description

Abies webbiana (accepted name: Abies spectabilis), the East Himalayan fir or Talispatra tree, is a large evergreen conifer of the family Pinaceae, native to the sub-alpine and alpine Himalayan forests of Nepal, Bhutan, and the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim at elevations between 2,400 and 4,000 metres. The tree produces flattened, two-ranked needles with distinctive white stomatal bands on their undersides. Known in classical Ayurveda as Talisha or Talispatra, the dried needles are documented in the Charaka Samhita and Ashtanga Hridayam as a component of respiratory preparations, particularly the classical compound Talisadi Churna — listed in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India for respiratory and digestive applications. The leaf also contains essential oil with bornyl acetate and camphene. Listed in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India.