Question

The biological name of Indian Bdellium is:

• A. Commiphora mukul
• B. Commiphora berryi
• C. Commiphora wightii
• D. Commiphora molmol

Hint:

Commiphora wightii, also known as Indian Bdellium, is an important medicinal plant used in Ayurveda for treating various ailments, particularly inflammatory conditions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The biological name of Indian Bdellium is Commiphora wightii. It is a plant species from the Commiphora genus, and it is used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

Answer 2

All four options are species within the same genus, Commiphora, so the question is really asking which particular species is the source of Indian Bdellium, also called guggul.

1. Commiphora mukul: This name was historically used for the guggul tree, but taxonomic revision has reclassified this species; the accepted current name for the plant yielding guggul (Indian Bdellium) resin is a different species name below.
2. Commiphora berryi: This is a separate Commiphora species found in India, but it is not the recognised source of the oleo-gum-resin known as Indian Bdellium.
3. Commiphora wightii: This is the currently accepted botanical name for the guggul plant, a small thorny shrub native to arid regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, whose oleo-gum-resin, obtained by making incisions in the bark, is known in commerce as Indian Bdellium or guggul, and used traditionally for its anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering effects.
4. Commiphora molmol: This species is the source of true myrrh, an oleo-gum-resin from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, a different drug from Indian Bdellium.

Since the resin marketed as Indian Bdellium is obtained specifically from the guggul shrub, whose current accepted name is Commiphora wightii, the correct answer is Commiphora wightii.