AMRATA (Stem Bark)
Amrata consists of dried stem bark of Spondias pinnata Linn. f. Kurz. Syn. S. mangifera Willd.; S. acuminata Roxb. non Gamble (Fam. Anacardiaceae); a small aromatic, deciduous tree, upto 27 m high and 2.5 m in girth, found wild or cultivated almost throughout the country and in the Andamans ascending upto an altitude of 1500 m in the Himalayas.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Amrataka, Markatamra
Assamese : —
Bengali : Amada, Amra
English : Indian Hog Plum, Wild Mango
Gujrati : Ambeda, Ambado, Ranamba, Jangali Ambo, Ranambo
Hindi : Ambada, Amra, Jangli Aam
Kannada : Ambate, Amvara
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Mampusli, Ambalam, Ambazham, Mampuiti, Ampozham
Njettikuzhiyan mavu.
Marathi : Ambado
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Amada
Tamil : Mambulichi Amputtai, Ambadam
Telugu : Amratakamu, Anbalamu, Adavimamidi
Urdu : Jangli Aam
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Drug occurs in the form of 2-7 cm long cut pieces, curved, thin, external surface smooth, grey having lenticels, internal surface reddish-yellow; fracture, laminated.
b) Microscopic
Stem Bark– Mature bark shows cork as a wide zone of 15-25 rows, consisting of tangentially elongated, radially arranged, thin-walled cells, a few outer cells exfoliated; secondary cortex consisting of tangentially elongated, parenchymatous cells, which are thick-walled towards periphery, first followed by a zone of compactly arranged cells filled with rosette and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate and next by another wider zone of compactly arranged stone cells; rest of the cells following the stone cell zone are thin-walled, tangentially elongated, parenchymatous, with reddish-brown contents, and also rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; simple, round to oval starch grains measuring 2.75-14 μ in dia., a few prismatic crystals present in this zone; secondary phloem consisting of usual elements, phloem fibres arranged in tangential bands, thick-walled, lignified, alternating with the patches of phloem fibres, prominent lysogenous cavities are present, surrounded by a number of tannin sacs; phloem parenchyma consisting of thin walled cells, containing rosette crystals and starch grains, similar to those found scattered in secondary cortex.
Powder – Light brown; shows cork cells, stone cells, phloem fibres measuring 800-1000 μ in length and 14-28 μ in width, rosette and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate and numerous rounded to oval starch grains, measuring 3-14 μ in diameter.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 13 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 3 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 7 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of alcoholic extract of the drug on Silica Gel ‘G’ using n-Butanol : Acetic acid: Water (4:1 :5) shows three spots at Rf. 0.33, 0.40 and 0.87 (all greyish brown). Under U.V. (366 nm) one fluorescent zone is visible at Rf. 0.96. On spraying with 5% Methanolic-Phosphomolybdic acid reagent and heating the plate for about ten minutes at 110°C three spots appear at Rf. 0.33.(greyish brown), 0.87 (blue) and 0.96 (blue).
CONSTITUENTS – Tannin and Starch
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Amla, Kasaya
Guna : Guru, Sara
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : —
Karma : Kaphakara, Vatahara, Pittakara, Rucikrt, Kanthya, Amadosahara Hrdya, Vahnikara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Dadhika Ghrta.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Ksata, Ksaya, Raktapitta, Daha
DOSE – 5-10 g. of the drug in powder form for decoction.
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