KARCURA (Rhizome)
Karcura consists of dried pieces of rhizome of Curcuma zedoaria Rose, (Fam. Zingiberacem), a large perennial herb with underground tuberous root-stock, growing wildly in eastern Himalayas and in moist deciduous forests of the central region of Karnataka; also cultivated throughout the country.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Kaccura, Dravida
Assamese : Katuri
Bengali : Sali, Ekangi, Sari, Kachura
English : Zedoary
Gujrati : Kachuro, Shatakachuro
Hindi : Kacura
Kannada : Kachora
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Kachalam
Marathi : Kachora
Oriya : Kachoramu, Gandha Sunthi, Karchura
Punjabi : Kachur
Tamil : Kichili, Kizhangu, Kitchiliki Zhangu, Padam Kizhangu
Telugu : Kachoramu, Kichili Gadda
Urdu : Zarambad
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Drug occurs as whole or longitudinally and tangentially cut pieces; the whole drug 2 to 6 cm long, cylindrical; transversely cut pieces 2 to 3.5 cm in dia., surface rough due to longitudinal wrinkles and occasional protuberances; nodes and internodes distinct, a few pieces bear thin root and root scars at places; colour externally greyishbuff and internally cream; odour, camphoraceous; taste, slightly bitter.
b) Microscopic
Shows a thin zone of cork composed of 4 to 7 layers of thin-walled, tangentially elongated, rectangular cells, sometimes epidermis intact with cork having uniseriate covering trichomes; ground tissue consist of thin-walled, circular, oval or polygonal, parenchymatous cells, mostly filled with simple starch grains but some cells also contain yellow oleo-resin; stelar region demarked from cortex by somewhat collapsed cells of endodermis and consists of rounded and oval to polygonal cells mostly filled with starch grains but some having yellow masses of oleo-resin; vascular bundles closed and collateral, distributed throughout cortical and stelar region, consisting of a few xylem and phloem elements; vascular bundles found in the form of a ring in the cortical region and in the stelar region, just below endodermis; most of the vascular bundles in rest of the stelar region smaller in size and scattered; number of vessels in each bundle varies from 2 to 10, bundle with single vessels being very rare; starch grains round to oval, a few with slight projection at one end striations distinct, numerous; hilum cleft, indistinct at the narrow end, 20 to 70 n in length and 15 to 35 n in width.
Powder – Greyish-yellow; aromatic; shows fragments of cork, oleo-resin cells, simple circular to oval, abundant starch grains measuring 20 to 70 n in length and 15 to 35 n in width.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 7 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 4 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 10 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
Volatile oil Not less than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.10
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Toluene Ethylacetate (93 : 7) v/v shows under U.V. (366 nm) five fluorescent zones at Rf. 0.25, 0.47, 0.76 (all light blue), 0.83 (blue) and 0.97 (light blue). On exposure to Iodine vapour eight spots appear at Rf. 0.25, 0.34, 0.47, 0.58, 0.67, 0.76, 0.83 and 0.97 (all yellow). On spraying with Vanillin-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for ten minutes at 110oC eight spots appear at Rf. 0.25 (violet), 0.34 (light violet), 0.47 (violet), 0.58 (violet), 0.67 (light brown), 0.76 (bluish grey), 0.83 (violet) and 0.97 (light brown).
CONSTITUENTS – Essential Oil and Resin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu, Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Dipana, Kaphahara, Rucya, Vatahara, Mukhavaisadyakara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Karpuradyarka, Karcuradi Curna (Karcuradi Lepa), Sutasekara Rasa
THERAPEUTIC USES – Arsa, Hikka, Jvara, Kasa, Krmi, Kustha, Vrna, Svasa, Gulma, Pliha, Galaganda
DOSE – 1-3 gm of the drug in powder form.
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