All About Dagad Phool | Know Your Spice Black Stone Flower or Kalpasi (Parmotrema perlatum)

All About Dagad Phool | Know Your Spice Black Stone Flower or Kalpasi (Parmotrema perlatum)

Its history is intertwined with the culinary traditions of these regions and its unique flavour profile, which adds depth and complexity to dishes.

Apart from the unique and marvellous flavour and taste that it gives, it also contributes to your health.

It has an incredible flavour enhancing effect when added to dishes during cooking.

It is an edible fungus that grows on trees and rocks naturally and doesn’t require any major effort or fertiliser. It grows on its own without any cultivation on trees, rocks and stones.

Though there are not many scientific studies and research stating its therapeutic properties, traditional medicine healers believe in its healing properties.

This red spice information card below gives you a snapshot of Dagad Phool spice you’ll read about. Do share this spice card with your friends & spread the knowledge.

Looking at the etymology of the name ‘kalpasi’ and the geographically distribution of its usage, the use of the black stone flower seems to have originated with the Dravidian-speaking cultures.

It has been used as traditional food by Rai and Limbu communities of East Nepal.

It is abundantly found in the temperate and alpine regions of the Himalayas and hilly regions of Peninsular India.

Since ancient times, it has been used as one of the natural drug and about 700 biologically active components have been structurally identified that were quite unique with respect to those of higher plants.

The word lichen is derived from a Greek word which denotes the superficial growth on the bark of olive tree.

Theophrastus (370-285BC), the Father of Botany introduced the term lichen. Tournefort (1700 AD) proposed lichen as one of the genera of plant entities.

By itself dagad phool is bitter. It tastes can be compared to being pungent & astringent. However, when added to a recipe and cooked it imparts a wonderful smoky flavour.

Dry ground kalpasi has little or no smell and should be roasted in little oil to get its actual and full aroma.

• Rasa (Taste): Tikta (pungent), Kasaya (astringent)
• Guna (Property): Laghu (light), Snigdha (slimy)
• Virya (Potency): Sheet (cold)
• Vipaka (Post digestive effect): Katu (bitter)
• Karma (Effect on dosha/disease): Hrdya (Heart diseases), Pittahara, Stambhaka (Semen thickening agent), Kapha-pitthara.

Clad by the Ayurvedic designation of “Shaileya”, “Shilapushpa” in Sanskrit, stone flower is renowned for its potent ability to eliminate kidney stones from the system and uplift renal functions.

Moreover, it supplies tremendous merits for wound-healing when applied as a topical herbal formulation, thanks to its strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory traits.

Displaying superb capabilities in balancing the exacerbated kapha and pitta doshas, besides relieving asthma symptoms and curing respiratory illnesses owing to its decongestant qualities, it is undoubtedly a panacea from nature for alleviating myriad health woes.

If stored properly, it will last you an year at least with its full flavour and aroma.

For the best results, keep it stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator crisper drawer as usual.

• It is used to make Goda Masala, that is an important ingredient in Maharashtrian cuisine.
• It is commonly used in Chettinad cuisine, particularly in gravies and spice blends.
• It is an essential ingredient in Maharashtrian Kala (Black) masala as well as Lucknawi Potli.
• It is also considered to be an essential ingredient in East Indian Bottle Masala, Malvani Masala and even North Indian Garam Masala.
• Kalpasi is also widely used as a soup thickener.
• It is also widely used in making non-vegetarian preparations like Nalli Nihari and Biryani.
• Chettinad cuisine also makes use of this lichen to make marinades.
• Black Stone Flower not only adds flavor and aroma to food but also has various subtle medicinal values.
• Ayurveda and Siddha medicine has been recommending the Parmotrema Perlatum plant for centuries to treat specific ailments.

No substitute is known for dagad phool.

Dagad Phool | Black Stone Flower is well available in well-stocked grocery stores, supermarkets, and natural food stores. Dagad Phool salt will be in the dry spices aisle.

Dagad Phool is also easily found in specialty and gourmet food stores as well as online.

Health Benefits of Dagad Phool or Benefits of Kalpasi

Different parts of the Black Stone Flower plant are recommended for treating different conditions:

Here are some notable Health Benefits of Dagad Phool;

• Health Benefits of Stone Flower as an Antiulcer – There is evidence of Dagad Phool potential against cold restraint, aspirin, alcohol and pyloric ligation.
• Health Benefits of Dagad Phool as an Antioxidant – The ethanolic extract of dagad phool showed significantly good free radical scavenging effects and antioxidant potential.
• Health Benefits of Kalpasi in Hypolipidemic – Methonolic extract of P. perlata was proved to have significant hypolipidemic activity when tested by employing in-vitro anti-cholesterol assay.
• Health Benefits of Kalpasi as Cytotoxic agent – Methonolic extract of P. perlata was found to have cytotoxic activity and showed anti-proliferation against colon cancer cell
• Health Benefits of Dagad Phool as an Anti-diabetic – extract of P. perlata showed significant anti-diabetic activity compared to glibenclamide against alloxan induced diabetes in rats.
• Health Benefits of Dagad Phool as an Antibacterial – The methanolic, ethyl acetate and acetone extracts of P. perlata were found to have significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.
• Health Benefits of Dagad Phool as an Antiviral – The antiviral properties were determined against yellow fever, poliomyelitis and infectious bursal disease virus.
• Health benefits of Black Stone Flower against Asthma – Ayurveda recommends Black Stone Flower as an important herb for asthma management due to its Kapha-Vata balance properties.
• Health benefits of black stone flower against kidney stones – Kalpasi is used to treat various kidney conditions including kidney stones. The formation of hard stone is known as Urolithiasis in medical terms.
• Black Stone Flower powder acts as an excellent pain reliever and provides excellent relief in a short time.
• These edible fungi have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that treat various skin problems such as wounds, cracks, cuts, inflammation, as well as tumors.