Delphinium denudatum is a species of wildflower in the genus Delphinium, native to Central Asia.
Distribution Delphinium denudatum is found on the outer ranges of western Himalayas of Nepal and in India from Kashmir to Kumaon at a height between 8000 and 12000 feet above sea level.
Medicinal properties It is one of the important drugs used as indigenous medicine in India, especially in Unani medicine.Zafar S, Aftab MA, Siddiqui TA. Jadwar (Delphinium denudatum Wall.) Roots – A Boon in Unani Medicine, Hamdard Medicus, Vol. XLVI, No. 2, 2003: 9-14 Its vernacular name is Jadwar.
The roots of the plant are reported to be useful in a variety of ailments such as aconite poisoning, brain diseases, fungal infection, piles and toothache as analgesic and astringent.Baytar Ibn. Jame al Mufradat al advia wal aghzia. Cairo: Bulak Press; 1874: 159Khory RN, Katrak NN. Materia Medica of India and their therapeutics. Delhi: Neeraj Publishing House; 1985: 10–11Rahman A, Nasreen A, Akhtar F, Shekhani MS, Clardy J, Parvez M, Choudhary MI. Antifungal diterpenoid alkaloids from Delphinium denudatum. J Nat Prod. 1997;60:472–4 A number of studies have been done on its phytochemical and pharmacological properties.Singh N, Singh A, Malik MS. Delphinium denudatum alkaloid, the structure of denudatine. Chem Ind. 1961: 1909-11Singh N, Chopra KL. Diterpine alkaloid isolation and study of two new alkaloids. J Pharma and Pharmaceutic. 1962;14:288–93
Its use in opium addiction is mentioned in some classical literature,Khan Najmul Ghani. Qarabadin-i Najmul Ghani (Urdu). 2nd ed. Lucknow: Naval Kishore Press; 1928: 621Shirazi IM. Treatise on Opium. A 16th Century Persian manuscript Aligarh: Zillur Rahman Library, Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine & Sciences; Scribed between 1737 and 1744. p. 28. which has been verified and validated in morphine-induced physical dependent de-addiction studies.Rahman, S. Z., Khan R. A. & Kumar A. A Study of Delphinium denudatum Wall. in morphine dependence. In: Khan SS, editor. Vistas in Ethnobotany, Ind J Applied Pure Biol. Vol. 1. 2000: 111–125Rahman, S. Z., Khan R.A & Kumar A. Preclinical study of delphinium denudatum wall. in morphine de-addiction. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods September–October 2007, Volume 56 (2): e4Rahman, S. Z., Khan, R. A & Kumar, A. A Study of Delphinium denudatum in moderately induced morphine dependence, Proceedings, 6th Internet World Congress for Biomedical Sciences, Castilla La Mancha University, Spain, February 14–25, 2000 Some species are reported to have been poisonous. Human Poisoning due to Delphinium Species in the Himalayan Region of Nepal: A Case Report. Santosh Adhikari et al. JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2020.
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