APAMARGA (Whole Plant)
Apamarga consists of dried whole plant of Achyranthes aspera Linn. (Fam. Amaranthaceae); a stiff, erect, 0.3-0.9 m high herb, found commonly as a weed throughout India up to 900 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Mayura, Mayuraka, Pratyakpuspa, Kharamanjar, Sikhari
Assamese : —
Bengali : Apamg
English : Prickly Chaff Flower
Gujrati : Aghedo
Hindi : Chirchita, Latjira
Kannada : Uttarani
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Katalati
Marathi : Aghada
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Puthakanda
Tamil : Nayuruvi
Telugu : Uttarenu
Urdu : Chirchita
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – Cylindrical tap root, slightly ribbed, 0.1-1.0 cm in thickness, gradually tapering, rough due to presence of some root scars, secondary and tertiary roots present, yellowish-brown; odour, not distinct.
Stem – 0.3 – 0.5 cm in cut pieces, yellowish-brown, erect, branched, cylindrical, hairy, solid, hollow when dry.
Leaf – Simple, subsessile, exstipulate, opposite, decussate, wavy margin, obovate, slightly acuminate and pubescent due to the presence of thick coat of long simple hairs.
Flower – Arranged in inflorescence of long spikes, greenish-white, numerous, sessile, bracteate with two bracteoles, one spine lipped, bisexual, actinomorphic, hypogynous; perianth segments 5,free, membranous, contorted or quincuncial, stamens 5, opposite, the perianth lobes, connate forming a membranous tube-like structure, alternating with truncate and fimbriate staminodes, filament short; anther, two celled, dorsifixed; gynoecium bicarpellary, syncarpous; ovary superior, unilocular with single ovule; style, single; stigma, capitate.
Fruit – An indehiscent dry utricle enclosed within persistent, perianth and bracteoles, Seed – Sub-cylindric, truncate at the apex, round at the base, endospermic, brown.
b) Microscopic
Root – Mature root shows 3-8 layered, rectangular, tangentially elongated, thin-walled cork cells; secondary cortex consisting of 6-9 layers, oval to rectangular, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells having a few scattered single or groups of stone cells; followed by 4-6 discontinuous rings of anomalous secondary thickening composed of vascular tissues; small patches of sieve tubes distinct in phloem parenchyma, demarcating the xylem rings; xylem composed of usual elements; vessels simple pitted; medullary rays 1-3 cells wide; small prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate present in cortical region and numerous in medullary rays.
Stem – Young stem shows 6-10 prominent ridges, which diminish downwards upto the base where it becomes almost cylindrical; epidermis single layered, covered by thick cuticle having uniseriate, 2-5 celled, covering trichomes and glandular with globular head, 3-4 celled stalk; cortex 6-10 layered, composed of parenchymatous cells, most of them containing rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; in the ridges cortex collenchymatous; vascular bundles lie facing each ridge capped by pericyclic fibres; transverse section of mature stem shows lignified, thin-walled cork cells; pericycle a discontinuous ring of lignified fibres; vascular tissues show anomalous secondary growth having 4-6 incomplete rings of xylem and phloem; secondary phloem consisting of usual elements form incomplete rings; cambial strip present between secondary xylem and phloem; secondary xylem consisting of usual elements, fibres being absent; vessels annular, spiral, scalariform and pitted, fibres pitted, elongated, lignified; pith wide consisting of oval to polygonal, parenchymatous cells; two medullary bundles, either separate throughout or found in some cases, present in pith; micro-sphenoidal silica crystals present in some epidermal, cortical and pith cells.
Leaf-Petiole – Shows crescent-shaped outline, having single-layered epidermis with thickcuticle; ground tissues consisting of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells containing rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; 4-5 vascular bundle situated in mid region. Midrib – Shows a single layered epidermis, on both surfaces; epidermis followed by 4-5 layered collenchyma on upper side and 2-3 layered on lower side; ground tissue consisting of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells having a number of vascular bundles; each vascular bundle shows below the xylem vessels, thin layers of cambium, followed by phloem and a pericycle represented by 2-3 layers of thick-walled, non-lignified cells; rosette crystals of calcium oxalate found scattered in ground tissues.
Lamina – Shows single layered, tangentially elongated epidermis cells covered with thick cuticle having covering trichomes which are similar to those of stem found on both surfaces; mesophyll differentiated into palisade and spongy parenchyma; palisade 2-4 layered of thick parenchyma larger, slightly elongated in upper, while smaller and rectangular in lower surface; spongy parenchyma 3-5 layers thick, more or less isodiametic parenchymatous cells; idioblast containing large rosette crystals of calcium oxalate distributed in palisade and spongy parenchyma cells; stomata anisocytic and anomoacytic in both surface; stomatal index 4.5-9.0 on upper surface, 9.0-20.0 on lower surface; palisade ratio 7.0-11; vein islet number 7-13 per sq. mm.
Powder – Light yellow; shows fragments of elongated, rectangular, thin-walled epidermal cells, aseptate fibres, vessels with annular, spiral, scalariform and pitted thickening, uniseriate hair with bulbous base, rosette and prismatic 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 5 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 12 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Saponins
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Sara, Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Dipana, Kaphahara, Vatahara, Medohara, Chedana, Pacana, Vamaka, Sirovirecana
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Apamargaksara, Apamargaksara Taila, Abhaya Lavana, Gudapippali, Jyotismati Taila
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sula, Udara Roga, Apaci, Arsa, Kandu, Medoroga
DOSE – 20-50 g. of the drug for decoction.
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