KARPASA
Karpasa consists of seeds (devoid of lint) of Gossypium herbaceum Linn. (Fam. Malvacem) , an annual or perennial shrub, 0.6-2.4m high, extensively cultivated in India.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Tundakesi
Assamese : Karpasa, Tula
Bengali : Bona, Kapasia
English : Cotton plant seed
Gujrati : —
Hindi : Kapasa, Binaula
Kannada : Hati, Arale
Kashmiri : Kath
Malayalam : Karpasi, Panji Karpasam
Marathi : Sarki
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Lodhar
Tamil : Parutti kkoottam
Telugu : Patti ginga
Urdu : Pambadana, Habb-ul-Qutn
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Seed, dark brown, ovoid, 0.3-0.6 cm diameter, minute, shallow longitudinal grooves arise from funicular region of seed, taste, slightly bitter.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of mature seed shows, two integuments forming seed coat, outer integument differentiated into epidermis, a wide zone of parenchyma and a hyaline layer, epidermis single layered, some trichomes arise from epidermis and form lint and fuzz hairs, lint hairs elongated with thin wall and wide lumen, fuzz hairs thick-walled with narrow lumen, parenchymetous zone consists of 4-8 layers of reddish-brown cells, a few vascular bundles embedded in this zone, hyaline layer consisting of 2-3 layers of tangentially elongated, cubical, thick-walled cells, inner integument composed of palisade and parenchyma, palisade cells compactly arranged and colourless, parenchyma many layered of tangentially elongated cells with deep reddish-brown contents, cotyledons thin, large and folded, upper epidermis of cotyledon, single layered, externally covered with cuticle followed by 1 or 2 layered palisade like cells of mesophyll, beneath this zone, mesophyll cells show elongated to rounded structure without inter-cellular spaces, lower epidermis single layered, cubical or oval, covered with cuticle, some lysigenous glands filled with yellowish-brown contents also found scattered in mesophyll region, starch and calcium oxalate crystals absent. Powder- Brown under microscope shows palisade cells, thin-walled mesophyll cells, deep brown contents and hairs, pieces of testa and fuzz intact.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 0.1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 14 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 8 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Fixed oil, resin and sterols.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Guru, Snigdha
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Hrdya, Vrsya, Stanyajanana, Kaphakara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Karpasashvadi Taila
THERAPEUTIC USES – Daha, Srama, Bhranti, Murccha, Stanyaksya
DOSE – 3-6 g of he drug in powder form.
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