Muktaphala

The muktaphala or muktā-phala[1] is a plant, also known as the cobra lily,[2] of the genus Arisaema.[3] It is also known as the 'liberating fruit' and the 'pearl fruit.[4]

Somewhat similar in appearance to a husked maize ear,[5] the berry is strongly psychoactive, and is highly favored in Nepal as a means of creating visionary trips. The rhizome of Arisaema utile is used against cancer,[6] possessing "anti-proliferative activity ... to prevent cancer".[7]

References

  1. ↑ so spelled in the Encyclopaedia Indica, p. 132)
  2. ↑ Described (with a photograph of its fruit) on p. 164 of Christian Rätsch et al. : Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas. Rochester (VT), 2002.
  3. ↑ Arisaema utile (Sikkim cobra lily)
  4. ↑ Figuratively, a 'pearl', though this latter is also spelled /mukta-hala/-- Linda Beth Hess : The Bijak of Kabir. Oxford U Pr, 2002. p. 179, n. 34.2
  5. ↑ Arisaema tortuosum
  6. ↑ www.siu.edu
  7. ↑ www.physoc.org
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