AKARAKARABHA (Root)
Akarakarabha consists of dried roots of Anacyclus pyrethrum DC. (Fam. Asteraceae); an annual, hairy herb with numerous spreading prostrate or ascending branched stems.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Akallaka
Assamese : —
Bengali : Akarakara
English : Pellitory
Gujrati : Akkalkaro, Akkalgaro
Hindi : Akalkara
Kannada : Akkallakara, Akallakara, Akalakarabha, Akkallaka Hommugulu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Akikaruka, Akravu
Marathi : Akkalakara, Akkalakada
Oriya : Akarakara
Punjabi : Akarakarabh, Akarakara
Tamil : Akkaraka, Akkarakaram
Telugu : Akkalakarra
Urdu : Aqaraqarha
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Roots tough, cylindrical, 7-15 cm in length, tapering slightly at both ends, with a few hairy rootlets and occasionally topped by bristly remains of leaves, external surface rough, brown, shrivelled, bark upto 3 mm thick, not easily separable, odour, slightly aromatic, taste, characteristically astringent and pungent, on chewing gives tingling sensation to tongue and lips and causes excessive flow of saliva.
b) Microscopic
Root – Mature root shows cork consisting of tabular cells, many of which developed as sclerenchyma; a few innercork cells contain rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; secondary cortex consisting of isodiametric or tangentially, elongated, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells; a few sclerenchymatous cells also found scattered in secondary cortex; secondary phloem consisting of usual elements, cambium 2-5 layered, secondary xylem very wide consisting of xylem vessels, tracheids and xylem parenchyma; vessels pitted, more or less in groups distributed throughout xylem, more and wider vessels found towards peripery, xylem fibres thick-walled, 1.37-28.8 μ in width, 53.2 – 231 μ in length having narrow lumen, medullary rays numerous, running straight, bi to tri and multiseriate, uniseriate rays very rare, starting from primary xylem and reaching upto secondary cortex; ray cells thick-walled, radially elongated, inulin present in cells of secondary cortex, secondary phloem and medullary rays; oleo-resinous schizogenous glands found scattered in secondary cortex, secondary phloem and medullary rays; calcium oxalate crystals in rosette form present in secondary cortex, secondary phloem, secondary xylem and medullary ray cells.
Powder – Ash coloured; shows vessels having scalariform thickening, rosette crystals of calcium oxalate and fragments of sclerenchyma; also gives positive tests for inulin.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 percent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 10 percent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 2 percent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 8 percent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not More than 22 percent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Volatile oil and Alkaloid (Pyrethrin).
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu
Guna : Ruksa, Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Vatahara, Pittahara, Kaphahara, Sukrala, Vajikara, Svedakara, Dipana, Buddhivardhaka, Balakarka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Kumaryasava, Kasturyadi (Vayu) Gutika, Nagavallabha Rasa
THERAPEUTIC USES – Pratisyaya, Sotha, Ajirna, Kasa, Svasa, Grdhrasi, Paksaghata, Udararoga, Nastartava, Sularoga, Dantasula
DOSE – 0.5 -1 g. of the drug in powder form.
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