JIVAKAH (Pseudo Bulb)
Jivakah consists of dried and fresh pseudo-bulb of Malaxis acuminata D. Don syn. Microstylis wallichii Lindl. (Fam. Orchidacem), a short stemmed terrestrial herb up to 25 cm in height, distributed throughout India on hills at an altitude of 2000 -3000 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Jivya, Dirghayu, Cirajivi
Assamese : —
Bengali : —
English : Jeevak
Gujrati : —
Hindi : Jeevak
Kannada : —
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Jeevakam
Marathi : —
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Jeevakam
Telugu : Jeevakamu
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Fresh pseudo bulb conical in shape, fleshy, green, smooth, shining, 1 to 9 cm long and 1 to 3 cm broad, slightly mucilagenous, covered with shining, transluscent light green, membraneous, 3 or 4 sheathing leaves arranged alternately and having parallel venation; stem rudimentary; roots arising at the union of stem and bulb. Dried pseudo bulbs conical, transluscent, reddish-brown in colour, measuring 2 to 5 cm long and 0.25 to 1 cm wide, covered with sheathing leaves, which are light brown, membraneous with parallel venation; surface rough, punctated, fracture hard; cut surface dark brown, coarsely granulated with irregular margins and white spots; pleasant smell; astringent, slightly mucilagenous in taste.
b) Microscopic
T.S. of pseudo bulb oval to circular in outline; section passing through scaly leaves which exfoliate, showing a single layered, thick walled, sclerified epidermis having acicular crystals of calcium oxalate, followed by mesophyll adjacent to the upper epidermis composed of 2 to 4 layers of elongated cells with lignified reticulate thickening the lignification was confirmed with phloroglucinol and Conc. HCl, devoid of chlorolplast; vascular bundles prominent, phloem well developed with large sieve plates, surrounded by sclerenchymatous bundle sheath; section passing through bulb shows a single layer of cuticle and a layer of thick walled sclerified epidermal cells; below this lie 1 or 2 layers of large sclerified cells and these extend unevenly into ground parenchymatous tissue; ground parenchyma irregular, with large air spaces with passage cells in the form of small protuberances at some places; vascular bundles scattered throughout the ground tissue surrounded by thick walled sclerenchymatous cells, which occasionally extend into intercellular spaces.
Powder – Yellowish-brown in colour, pleasant smell, slightly bitter and astringent in taste, shows groups of mesophyll cells with reticulate thickenings inside; vessels with spiral, scalariform and reticulate thickening; fibre tracheids of about 600 nm long upto 80 nm broad, and tracheids (about 19 nm long and 40 nm broad); groups of parenchyma with accicular crystals of calcium oxalate, sieve plates, sieve tubes and angular parenchymatous cells. Powder when treated with conc. HNO3 on microscopic slide emits light green fluorescence under UV 365 nm.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 3 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 4 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 12 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
Starch Not less than 19 per cent, Appendix 2.2.13
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the methanolic extract on precoated silica gel ‘G’ plate (0.2 mm thick) using toluene : ethyl acetate (90 : 10) [double run] shows spots after spraying with anisaldehyde-sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for ten minutes at 120oC at Rf. 0.12 (orange), 0.18 (purple), 0.29 (grey), 0.38 (orange) and 0.59 (brown).
CONSTITUENTS – Alcohol (ceryl alcohol), glucose, rhamnose and diterpenes.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Picchila, Snigdha
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Balya, Pittahara, Rasayana, Vatahara, Dhatuvardhaka, Sukrala, Bramhana, Snehopaga, Jivaniya
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Manasamitra Vataka, Dasamularista, Cyavanaprasa, Brahma Rasayana, Sivagutika, Amrtaprasa Ghrta, Asoka Ghrta, Dhanvantara Taila, Bala Taila, Guducyadi Taila, Brhat Asvagandha Ghrta
THERAPEUTIC USES – Svasa, Daha, Kasa, Ksaya, Raktapitta, Raktavikara, Karsya, Sosa
DOSE – 5-10 g.
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