Amchi Name
Local Name (Lo, etc)
Scientific Name
Family
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Botanical Description & Habitat
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Plant’s Character and Medicinal Explanation
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Shug pa tsher can
(English Reading: - )
Shug pa tsher can
Juniperus squamata Buch.-Ham.ex D. Don (Cupressaceae)
Syn. Juniperus recurva Buch.-Ham.ex D. Don var. squamata (D. Don) Parl.
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A dwarf spreading shrub with a compact growth to c. 5 m tall, with only the leading shoots separating from the mass.
Leaves awl-shaped, incurved but not adpressed, 3-5 mm, in whorls of 3. Actually there are two kinds of leaves such as awl-like and spreading, and scale-like and pressed to stem. Fruits 1-seeded, 6-8 mm berry at first reddish-brown then black. Flowers Jun to July, and it’s grown from Afganistan to south west of China at 3,000 to 4,500 m in inner valleys. |
This species have different names in Nepal which have Lo name of “Shug pa tsher can” in upper Mustang, vernacular name (local) of b Dhupi as Nepali, and Pemaa Syukpaa as Sherpa’s name. It has also other Tibetan names of Shuk sher in Tibet.
These leaves are boiled in water, and this liquid decoction is applied to bach-ache and paralysis, and bathing in case of skin disease as great demand in Tibetan medicine. It has been exported to India. Also a little amount of them is used for fuel, and burnet for incense when other Juniper trees were insufficient.
Himalayan Junipers have been needed for identification to use different purposes in which are incense or medicine such as J. recurva, J. indica, J. communis, and J. macropoda.
* Amchi Name as a Tibetan was determined by Dr. Dawa who is a senior medical doctor works in Material Medica Department, Men-Tee-Khang, Tibetan Medical & Astrological Institute in Dharamsala of India.
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