A review on some medicinal grasses from Ayurveda

Grasses have been used by mankind since prevedic times or perhaps even before than that for various purposes, including as a source for food, medicines, ornaments, handcrafts as well as for rituals, etc. They have been considered sacred by our ancestors. In Sanskrit, a grass is termed as Trina or Truna. We get the references of various grasses from Vedic period, mainly in Rigweda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. Ayurveda, which is considered as Upaveda (subtext) of Atharvaveda has discussed about 620 medicinal plants in Charaka Samhita across 12,800 references, 775 plants in Sushruta Samhita has across 9676 references, and the same number (755) of plants in Ashtanga Sangrah across 20,500 references. Here, in this chapter some selected grasses have been highlighted along with their medicinal usages which are discussed in the classics of Ayurveda.