ASPHOTA (Root)
Asphota consists of the dried root pieces of Vallaris solanacea Kuntze syn. V.heynei Spreng. (Fam. Apocynacem), a large woody climbing shrub, occurring wild in subtropical Himalayan forests, up to an altitude of 1500 m and on the Konkan coast and further south; often cultivated in the gardens as an ornamental plant due to its fragrant white flowers.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Bhadravalli, Asphota
Assamese : —
Bengali : Haaparmaali
English : —
Gujrati : —
Hindi : Dudhibel
Kannada : —
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : —
Marathi : —
Oriya : Bonokonerinoi, Haporomoli
Punjabi : —
Tamil : —
Telugu : Nagamalle, Nityamalle
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
The dried, young and old root pieces are light, tough, cylindrical, tortuous and rarely branched. Young root about 5 to 6 cm. in length and about 1 to 2 cm. in diameter, surface smooth to faintly longitudinally wrinkled, with transversely elongated lenticels, cracks and exfoliation at places exposing the inner wood, buff to greyish externally, pale yellowish brown internally. Old root pieces are about 5 to 12 cm. in length and 3 to 8 cm. in diameter, surface very rough, knotty, longitudinally fissured, furrowed, cracked, prominent rootlet scars present, small rounded protuberances encircle the lenticels and exfoliation; earthy brown to grey externally, pale brown internally; transversely cut surface shows brown coloured outer bark, colourless, papery, thin inner bark and a wide zone of pale brown central wood, occupying the major area of the root; odour slightly aromatic and irritant; taste,
bitter.
b) Microscopic
Cork many layered, outer one lignified, inner few layers suberised, cork cambium distinct 2 to 3 layered, cortex narrow in young root and compressed in old; parenchymatous, filled with cluster crystals of calcium oxalate and simple as well as compound starch grains; pericycle is characterised by the presence of isolated groups of small, thick walled, lignified fibres; phloem many layered, characterised by two distinct zones, cells of the outer one filled with yellowish brown contents, the inner narrow zone is devoid of this; medullary rays mostly uniseriate, rarely bi to fourseriate, narrow, almost running parallel to each other but becoming wavy in the outer phloem and abruptly getting broad at its extremities especially in case of old roots; sieve tubes, companion cells and phloem parenchyma distinct, all parenchymatous cells of the phloem including medullary ray cells are filled with abundant clusters and a few prisms of calcium oxalate crystals and starch grains, microclusters of calcium oxalates arranged in rows form the characteristic feature of the phloem; thick walled, circular latex cells, rectangular, tangentially elongated oil channels filled with oil globules traverse throughout the phloem; a few thick walled, lignified, pitted stone cells are located especially in the old roots; cambium distinct, continuous; xylem very wide, lignified consisting of mostly isolated xylem vessels and tracheids, both border – pitted; fibers thin walled; parenchyma and medullarly rays pitted, containing starch grains.
Powder – Under the microscope it exhibits polygonal lignified cork cells in surface view, parenchymatous cells of the cortex and the phloem cells with starch grains and calicum oxalate cluster crystals, pitted xylem vessels and tracheids, lignified pitted medullary rays cells; occasionally groups of lignified thick walled, pitted stone cells and thin walled xylem fibres with wide lumen are also seen.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 8 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 0.7 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 11 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the methanolic extract on silica gel ‘G’ plate (0.2 mm thick) using chloroform : methanol (9:1) under UV (254 nm) shows prominent spots at Rf. 0.51, 0.62, 0.68, 0.76 (all dark spot) and 0.96 (blue fluorescence). On exposure to iodine vapour spots appear at Rf. 0.12, 0.19, 0.29, 0.44, 0.50, 0.67, 0.80 and 0.95.
CONSTITUENTS –
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Laghu, Ruksa
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Vatahara, Vranasodhaka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Vajraka Taila, Abhaya Lavan
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sula, Svasa, Kustha, Vrana, Asmari, Mutrakrcchra, Putanagrahavista (Balaroga), Grahani, Musaka Visavikara, Arsa
DOSE – 3-6 g.
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