AGARU (Heart Wood)

Agaru consists of dried heart wood of Aquilaria agallocha Roxb. (Fam. Thymelacacem), a large evergreen tree, distributed in North East part of the country.

SYNONYMS

Sanskrit : Aguru, Lauha, Krmija
Assamese : Agaru
Bengali : Agaru, Agarkashtha, Agar Chandan
English : Eagle Wood
Gujrati : Agar
Hindi : Agar
Kannada : Krishna Agaru
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Akil
Marathi : Agar
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Ooda, ooda, pharsi
Tamil : Akil kattai
Telugu : Agaru
Urdu : Ood Hindi, Agar

DESCRIPTION

a) Macroscopic

Drug available in cut pieces, dark brown to nearly black; fracture, hard; no characteristic smell and taste.

b) Microscopic

Shows mostly uniseriate sometimes biseriate xylem rays; vessels isolated having simple pitted thickening and filled with dark brown contents; xylem fibres short having narrow lumen occupying a major portion of wood; xylem parenchyma less in number and simple pitted; included phloem tissues in pockets partially disorganised, leaving large circular or oval holes, containing collapsed and broken tissues.

Powder – Dark brown; shows numerous aseptate fibres, simple pitted vessels with dark brown contents.

IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH

Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 13 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 0.5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.

T.L.C.

T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Toluene: Ethylacetate (9:1) shows in visible light two spots at Rf. 0.17 and 0.27 (both light brown). Under U.V. (366 nm) five fluorescent zones appear at Rf. 0.17, 0.27, 0.36, 0.57 and 0.80 (all blue). On exposure to Iodine vapour eight spots appear at Rf. 0.05, 0.11, 0.15, 0.24, 0.33, 0.57, 0.73 and 0.80 (all yellow). On spraying with Vanillin-Sulphuric acid reagent and after heating the plate for ten minutes at 105°C five spots appear at Rf. 0.13, 0.18, 0.25, 0.37 and 0.59 (all violet).

CONSTITUENTS – Essential Oil

PROPERTIES AND ACTION

Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu, Snigdha, Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Sirovir®cana, Kaphahara, Pittalam, Tvacya, Vatahara

IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Madhukasava, Mrdvikasava, Karpuradyarka, Cyavanaprasa Aval®ha, Anu Taila, Candanadi Taila, Khadiradi Gutika, Svasahara Kasaya Curna, Guducyadi Taila

THERAPEUTIC USES – Aksir°ga, Svasa, Karna R°ga, Kustha, Visa

DOSE – 1-3g

Goto Main Page

Latest Govt Job & Exam Updates:

View Full List ...