ASVATTHA
Asvattha consists of dried bark of Ficus religiosa Linn. (Fam. Moraceae, a large perennial tree, glabrous when young, found throughout the plains of India upto 170 m altitude in the Himalayas, largely planted as an avenue and roadside tree especially near temples.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Pippala
Assamese : Ahant
Bengali : Asvattha, Ashud, Ashvattha
English : Pipal tree
Gujrati : Piplo, Jari, Piparo, Pipalo
Hindi : Pipala, Pipal
Kannada : Arlo, Ranji, Basri, Ashvatthanara, Ashwatha, Aralimara, Aralegida,
Ashvathamara, Basari, Ashvattha
Kashmiri : Bad
Malayalam : Arayal
Marathi : Pipal, Pimpal, Pippal
Oriya : Aswatha
Punjabi : Pipal, Pippal
Tamil : Ashwarthan, Arasamaram, Arasan, Arasu, Arara
Telugu : Ravichettu
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Bark occurs in flat or slightly curved pieces, varying from 1.0-2.5 cm or more in thickness, outer surface brown or ash coloured, surface uneven due to exfoliation of cork, inner surface smooth and somewhat brownish, fracture, fibrous, taste, astringent.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of bark shows compressed rectangular to cubical, thick-walled cork cells and dead elements of secondary cortex, consisting of masses of stone cells, cork cambium distinct with 3-4 rows of newly formed secondary cortex, mostly composed of stone cells towards periphery, stone cells found scattered in large groups, rarely isolated,
most of parenchymatous cells of secondary cortex contain numerous starch grains and few prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate, secondary phloem a wide zone, consisting of sieve elements, phloem fibres in singles or in groups of 2 to many and non-lignified, numerous crystal fibres also present, in outer region sieve elements mostly collapsed while in inner region intact, phloem parenchyma mostly thick-walled, stone cells present in single or in small groups similar to those in secondary cortex, a number of ray-cells and phloem parenchyma filled with brown pigments, prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate and starch grains present in a number of parenchymatous cells, medullary rays uni to multiseriate, wider towards outer periphery composed of thick-walled cells with simple pits, in tangential section ray cells circular to oval in shape, cambium when present, consists of 2-4 layers of thin-walled rectangular cells.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 7 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 0.3 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 8 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 9 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Tannins.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Kasaya
Guna : Guru, Ruksa
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Varnya, Kaphapittavinasi, Sangrahi, Bhagnasandhanakara, Mutrasangrahaniya
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Nyagrodhadi Curna, Nyagrodhadi Kvatha Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Prameha, Raktapitta, Vrana, Vatarakta, Yonidosa
DOSE – 20-30 g of the drug for decoction.
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