AMRA (Stem Bark)
Amra consists of dried stem bark of Mangifera indica Linn. (Fam. Anacardiaceae), a tree found wild or cultivated throughout the country.
SYNONYMS –
Sansk. : Amra
Assam. : Aam
Beng. : Ama, Am
Eng. : Mango
Guj. : Ambo
Hindi. : Ama
Kan. : Mavu
Kash. : —
Mal. : Mavu
Mar. : Amba
Ori. : Am, Amba
Punj. : Amb
Tam. : Mamaram
Tel. : Amaramu
Urdu. : Aam
DESCRIPTION –
a) Macroscopic:
Drug occurs in pieces of variable size and thickness, surface rough due to longitudinal cracks, fissures and scattered, raised lenticels, greyish to dark brown externally and yellowish-white to reddish internally; odour, pleasant; taste, astringent.
b) Microscopic:
Mature bark, shows a wide cork consisting of tangentially elongated cells, a few outer layers brown and inner lighter in colour, at a few places lenticels appear; secondary cortex almost absent; secondary phloem wide, consisting of sieve elements, parenchyma and phloem fibres, traversed by medullary rays, resin canals and yellow coloured elongated, tannin sacs abundantly scattered throughout phloem region; stone cells thick walled, lignified, rectangular with wide lumen also present in single or in groups; starch grains and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate present in number of phloem cells; phloem fibres in groups composed of 2-15 or more cells, long and thick walled, phloem rays 1-3 seriate, 3 seriate rays more common, somewhat wavy, thinwalled, radially elongated and filled with crystals of calcium oxalate and simple, round starch grains, measuring 12-16μ in diameter.
Powder – Brown; shows fragments of cork cells, stone cells, single or in groups; phloem fibres, prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate; simple, spherical to elliptical, starch grains measuring 12 – 16 μ in diameter.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH –
Foreign matter Not more than 2 Per cent, Appendix 2.2.2
Total ash Not more than 9 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 20 Per cent, Appendix 2.2.6
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 14 Per cent, Appendix 2.2.7
T.L.C. –
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using n-Butanol : Acetic acid: Water (4 : 1 : 5) shows under U.V. (366 nm) three violet spots at Rf. 0.12, 0.73 and 0.87. On exposure to Iodine vapour four yellow coloured spots appear at Rf. 0.33, 0.51, 0.74 and 0.88. On spraying with 5% Methanolic-Sulphuric acid reagent and after heating the plate at 105°C for ten minutes, three grey coloured spots appear at Rf. 0.49, 0.69 and 0.88.
CONSTITUENTS – Tannins – Protocatechuic Acid, Catechin, Mangiferin, Alanine, Glycine, α -Aminobutyric acid, Kinic and Shikimic Acids.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION –
Rasa : Kasaya
Guna : Laghu, Ruksa
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Grahi, Vranaropana, Kaphapittasamaka, Rucya
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Nyagrodhadi Curna, Nyagrodhadi Kvatha Curna, Candanasava, Grahanimihira Taila, Mutra Sangrhaniya Kasaya Curna.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Atisara, Vrana, Agnimandya, Grahani, Prameha, Yoni Roga
DOSE – 3-6 g. of powder.
25-50 g. for decoction.
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