ITKATA (Root)
Itkata consists of dried root of Sesbania bispinosa W. F. Wight (Fam. Fabacem) an erect 1.5 to 2.5 m tall, annual, shrub with minute prickles on rachis and young branches, usually found as a weed in the rice fields or water logged areas in the plains of India.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Utkata, Vanajayanti
Assamese : —
Bengali : Dhanicha, Dhunsha
English : —
Gujrati : Sasee Ikad, Ikad
Hindi : Ikkada
Kannada : Mullu jinangi
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Kitamu
Marathi : Raanshevari, Chinchani
Oriya : Tentua
Punjabi : Jhanjhan
Tamil : Mudchembai, Nirchembai
Telugu : Ettejangaa
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Chopped pieces of roots of variable sizes and thickness usually irregular in shape and with thick and thin rootlets, main roots 0.2 to 2.0 cm in diam. solid, no root nodules observed, outer surface light brown, smooth; wood cream in colour, odourless and tasteless.
b) Microscopic
T.S. shows discontinuous cork, compressed and broken, 3 to 6 cells deep, thin walled; cortical cells parenchymatous, some containing prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate of about 16 to 25 n size and some containing tannins; towards the inner side of the cortex conical patches of sclerenchymatous fibre present, broader towards inner side and narrower towards the outside, phloem is about 5 cell deep, thin walled; cambium compressed, not very distinct; xylem vessels; usually with scalariform thickenings; ray cells uniseriate, with simple starch grains of 10 to 40 n size and occasionally prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate; pith absent.
Powder – Yellowish brown, fibrous, free flowing, characterized by the presence of large cells filled with tannins, some small parenchymatous cells containing tannins, long fibres, simple starch grains, tracheids and vessels with scalariform thickenings.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of methanol extract on silica gel 60 F 254 plate using Toluene : Acetone (90:10) shows eight spots at Rf 0.15, 0.24, 0.38, 0.46, 0.58, 0.61, 0.74 and 0.78 on spraying with Vanillin-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for 15 minutes at 110oC.
CONSTITUENTS – Amino acids such as lysine, arginine, histidine.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Guru, Snigdha
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Mutravirecaniya, Pittahara, Stanyajanana, Vatahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Mutravirecaniya Curna, Stanyajanana, Kasaya Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Asmari, Sarkara, Jvara, Kasa, Mutraghata, Mutrakrcchra, Pratisyaya, Netraroga, Pittasmari, Mutraruja
DOSE – 3-6 g.
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