PATTURA (Whole Plant)
Pattura consists of whole plant of mrva lanata (Linn.) Juss. (Fam. Amaranthacem), an erect or prostrate branched herb, 30 to 60 cm in height, found throughout India in waste lands.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Goraksaganja, Bhadra
Assamese : —
Bengali : Chaya
English : —
Gujrati : Gorakhganjo
Hindi : Gorakhaganja
Kannada : Bilihindisoppu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Cherula
Marathi : Kapurphutee, Kumrapindee
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Bhuikallan
Tamil : Cherupoolai
Telugu : Pindichettu, Kanda pindi
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – Tap-root, laterally branched, cylindrical, up to 0.8 cm in thickness and about 25 cm long pieces, externally light brown and rough but cut surface white and smooth; fracture, fibrous and hard.
Stem – Nearly cylindrical, branching alternate, external surface shows slight ridges and furrows, hairy and light brown in colour; cut surface white; fracture, granular.
Leaf – Simple, opposite, alternate, shortly petiolate, lamina 2.0 to 2.5 cm long and 1.0 to 1.6 cm broad, elliptic-orbicular or ovate, acute, reticulate veined, margin entire, densely pubescent on both surfaces.
Flower – Minute cluster as axillary spike; greenish-white; perianth 5, bracteolate; actinomorphic, bisexual; stamen 5, opposite to perianth, anthers 2 lobed; stigma bifid, superior ovary, unilocular with campylotropous ovule.
Fruit – A greenish, roundish, compressed membranous, utricle or circumscissile capsule with a coriaceous upper part or lid and containg a single seed.
Seed – Seed minute, 0.5 to 0.7 cm in dia., black, polished and kindney shaped; taste, pungent.
b) Microscopic
Root – Shows 5 to 7 layers of cork cells, upper 2 or 3 layers filled with brownish content; secondary cortex a wide zone consisting of circular to oval, elongated, thin walled parenchymatous cells, most of the cells containing rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; endodermis not distinct; pericycle present in the form of interrupted ring of pericyclic fibres; anamolous secondary growth present; secondary xylem and phloem tissues in form of 3 or 4 alternating rings; medullary bundles present; phloem consisting of sieve tubes, companion cells and phloem parenchyma; xylem consists of vessels, tracheids, fibres and xylem parenchyma; vessels circular to oval having simple pits; pith cells circular in shape containing rosette crystals of calcium oxalate.
Stem – Shows slightly wavy outline, corresponding to ridges and furrows; epidermis single layered covered with thick cuticle; trichomes multicellular, end cells pointed or vesicular, warty and thick walled; cortex 6 or 7 layers with 3 or 4 layers below ridges being collenchymatous and 3 or 4 layers below furrows chlorenchymatous; rest of the cells oval to elongated, elliptical, thin walled and parenchymatous, with a few cells containing rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; endodermis single layered; pericycle present in the form of a ring, single or groups of 2 to 4 fibres; anamolous secondary growth present; vascular bundles arranged in 2 or 3 rings showing included phloem alternating with parenchymatous tissue; phloem consists of sieve tubes, companion cells and phloem parenchyma; xylem composed of vessels, tracheids, wood fibres and xylem parenchyma; vessels round to oval having simple pits; pith wide consisting of circular to polygonal having intercellular spaces, rosette crystals of calcium oxalate present in this region.
Leaf –
Petiole – Shows single layered epidermis covered with cuticle; trichomes multicellular present on both surfaces; cortex consisting of 2 or 3 layers, upper collenchymatous and lower parenchymatous; vascular bundle collateral and 3 in number; rosette crystals of calcium oxalate present in cortical cells.
Midrib – Epidermis, cuticle and trichomes, similar to those in petiole; cortex 5 to 7 layers, upper 3 collenchymatous and lower 3 or 4 circular, thin walled and parenchymatous; vascular bundles 3 in number, 2 accessory and one middle; xylem towards the upper and phloem towards lower epidermis; rosette crystals of calcium oxalate present in cortical region.
Lamina – Epidermis, cuticle and trichomes similar as in petiole and midrib; palisade 1 or 2 layers; spongy parenchyma 3 to 5 layers composed of thin walled parenchymatous cells with intercellular spaces, a few rosette crystals of calcium oxalate present in spongy parenchyma; anomocytic stomata present on both surfaces; palisade ratio 2 or 3; stomatal index on upper surface 12 to 15 and on lower surface 16 to 18; vein islet number 4 or 5 per square mm.
Powder – Yellowish-green; under microscope shows straight walled epidermal cells, multicellular trichomes and anomocytic stomata in surface view; simple pitted vessels, cork cells, tracheids, fibres and 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 17 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 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 11 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on silica gel ‘G’ plate using Toluene: Ethylacetate : Methanol (50: 50: 20) as mobile phase shows under UV (366 nm) ten fluorescent zones at Rf. 0.11 (sky blue), 0.27 (red), 0.47 (red), 0.51 (sky blue), 0.73 (sky blue), 0.82 (pink), 0.87 (sky blue), 0.91 (red), 0.94 (red) and 0.97 (dark red). On spraying with Anisaldehyde-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for about ten minutes at 105oC ten spots appear at Rf. 0.11, 0.23, 0.37, 0.51, 0.61,0.73, 0.85, 0.92 and 0.94 (all violet) and 0.97 (dark violet).
CONSTITUENTS – α- Amyrin and β – sitosterol, β – sitosterol palmitate, compesterol, chrysin, flavonoid glycosides and tannins.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Laghu, Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Krmighna, Kaphahara, Vatahara, Mutravirecana
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Satavaryadi Ghrta
THERAPEUTIC USES – Asmari, Mutrakrcchra
DOSE – 50-100 ml in the form of decoction.