NIMBA (Fruit)
Nimba consists of whole dried fruit including seeds of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. syn. Melia azadirachta Linn. (Fam. Meliacem), a medium to large size evergreen tree attaining a height of 15 to 20 m or more under favourable conditions and found throughhout the plains of India upto an altitude of 900 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Aristah, Picumandah, Picumaradah, Prabhadrah
Assamese : —
Bengali : Nim, Nimgaachh
English : Indian Lilac, Neem tree, Margosa tree
Gujrati : Leemado
Hindi : Neem
Kannada : Chikkabevu, Huchchabevu, Turakbevu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Aaruveppu, Aryaveppu, Veppu
Marathi : Kadunimb, Nimb
Oriya : Neemo
Punjabi : Nim, Nimb
Tamil : Vempu, Vembu
Telugu : Vemu, Vepa
Urdu : Neem
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Fruit – Glabrous, dark reddish-brown, ovoid to ellipsoid drupes. 0.5 to 2 cm long, over one cm wide; indehiscent, deeply wrinkled, enclosing a single seed in a brownish leathery pulp; odour strong; taste, bitter.
Seed– Brownish, dorsally convex; upto 1.5 cm long and 0.6 cm wide; seed coat thin, brownish, shell-like, cracks to touch, inside of cracked pieces golden yellow; seed kernel, light brown, oily; odour, strong; taste, bitter.
b) Microscopic
Fruit – Pericarp well differentiated into epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp; epidermis more than one layered; squarish to rectangular cells containing yellowishbrown contents and oil droplets; mesocarp, many layered of loosely packed cells with large elongated sclereids scattered in outer layers; endocarp of two distinct layers, outer of closely packed lignified stone cells, inner fibrous, loosely packed, lignified.
Seed – Seed kernel shows a thin brown testa, of isodiametric stone cells overlying integument of loosely packed parenchymatous cells; cotyledon consisting of parenchymatous cells containing abundant oil droplets.
Powder – Dark brown; shows abundant brachysclereids, columnar sclereids and pitted stone cells with wide lumen and distinct wall striations; groups of lignified fibres, thinwalled, arranged in network of loose strands; parenchymatous cells of cotyledon containing aleurone grains and oil globules; fragments of testa showing distinctly striated isodiametric stone cells; a few scattered rosette crystals of calcium oxalate.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 8 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 16 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 19 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on precoated silica gel ‘G’ plate (0.2 mm thick) using chloroform : acetone (18.5:1.5) shows spots at Rf 0.11 (greyish violet), 0.16 (yellow), 0.19 (green), 0.24 (violet), 0.29 (grey), 0.33 (mustard yellow), 0.42 (pink), 0.49 (greyish black), 0.57 (violet) and 0.76 (light purple) on spraying with 1% Vanillin- Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate at 105oC for about ten minutes.
CONSTITUENTS – Fixed oil containing diterpenoids and triterpenoids (limonoids);nimbin, gedunin, azadirachtin, nimbidinin, salanin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta
Guna : Laghu, Snigdha, Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphahara, Rasayana, Vatahara, Visaghna, Bhedaniya, Hrdayadahahara, Pacana
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Arsoghnivati(Seed), Palasabijadi Curna (Seed)
THERAPEUTIC USES – Siroroga, Sotha, Arsa, Aruci, Chardi, Daha, Gulma, Hrllasa, Jvara, Krmi, Kustha, Prameha, Raktapitta, Visavikara, Vibandha, Vrana, Palitya, Netraruja, Ksata Ksaya, Khalitya, Gandamala
DOSE – 1 – 2 g curna.
5 – 10 drops of oil.
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