ARIMEDA (Stem Bark)
Arimeda consists of dried stem bark of Acacia leucophloea Willd. (Fam. Fabaceae); a moderate-sized deciduous tree, upto 3 m in height, characteristic of dry regions, found in the plains of Punjab and in the dry forest tracts throughout the country.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Irimeda, Vidkhadir
Assamese : —
Bengali : Guyababla, Sadabala
English : —
Gujrati : Haramibaval, Pilobaval, Haribaval
Hindi : Arimeda
Kannada : —
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Karivelam, Velvelam, Velvelakam
Marathi : Pandal Babal
Oriya : Arimeda
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Velvelam
Telugu : —
Urdu : Guar babool
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Mature bark 0.5-1 cm thick, hard, rough, incurved, exfoliating in irregular scales, externally yellowish-grey or almost black and longitudinally fissured, internally light brown to reddish-brown, internal surface longitudinally striated and fibrous, fracture, fibrous; odour and taste, not distinct.
b) Microscopic
Stem Bark -Mature bark shows dead tissues of rhytidoma consisting of cork cells, thinwalled cortical cells, stone cells and phloem cells, traversed by multiseriate medullary rays; cork consisting of 4-8 layers of thin-walled, square to rectangular cells, followed by numerous groups of sclereids of various shapes and sizes; secondary phloem wide, consisting of sieve elements, parenchyma, fibres and crystal fibres, all traversed by medullary rays; sieve elements get collapsed in outer and middle region forming tangential bands of ceratenchyma; phloem parenchyma thin-walled some cells contain prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate; phloem fibres thin-walled, lignified, with tapering ends, arranged in more or less concentric bands forming tangential strips alternating with-thinwalled phloem elements; crystal fibres elongated, thick-walled having numerous chambers containing a prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate in each chamber; medullary rays multiseriate dilating towards outer side, composed of thin-walled, radially elongated cells.
Powder – Reddish-brown; shows groups of cork cells, sclereid, fibres, crystal fibres 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 11 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 14 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 13 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.LC. of alcoholic extract of drug on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Chloroform:
Ethylacetate : Formic Acid (54: 1) only one spot at Rf 0.69 (grey) is seen in visible light. Under UV (366 nm) two fluorescent zones appear at Rf.0.78 and 0.91 (both blue).On exposure to Iodine vapour a yellow coloured tailing appears from Rf.0 to 0.39 and a spot at Rf. 0.91 (yellow). On spraying with 10% aqueous Ferric Chloride solution a bluish grey coloured tailing appears from Rf. 0 to 0.39 and a spot at Rf. 0.91 (bluish grey)
CONSTITUENTS – n-Hexacosanol, β -Amyrin, β-Sitosterol and Tannin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Usna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphasosaka, Medasosaka, Visanasana
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Khadiradi Gutika (Mukharoga), Arimedadi Taila (For external use i.e. Kavalagraha and Nasya)
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sopha, Kasa, Kandu, Kustha, Meha, Mukharoga, Visajavrana, Atisara, Visarpa, Pandu, Dantaroga, Krmi, Udardapra Samana
DOSE – 40 g for decoction.3-5 g in powder form.
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