ATIBALA
Atibala consists of root of Abutilon indicum (Linn.) Sweet (Fam. Malvaceae), a hairy herb or under-shrub 1.0-1.5 m high, annual or more often perennial with golden yellow flowers, flowering mostly throughout the year found abundantly throughout the hotter parts of India, as a common weed on road sides and other waste places in plains and hills, upto an elevation of 600 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Kankatika, Rsyaprokta
Assamese : Jayavandha, Jayapateri
Bengali : Badela
English : Indian Mallow
Gujrati : Kansaki, Khapat
Hindi : Kanghi
Kannada : Shrimudrigida, Mudragida, Turube
Kashmiri : Kath
Malayalam : Uram, Katuvan, Urubam, Urabam, Vankuruntott, Oorpam, Tutti
Marathi : Chakrabhendi, Petari, Mudra
Oriya : Pedipidika
Punjabi : Kangi, Kangibooti
Tamil : Tutti, Thuthi
Telugu : Tutturubenda
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Tap roots, fairly long with a number of lateral branches, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, light brown, outer surface smooth with dot like lenticels, bark thin and can be easily peeled off, odour, feeble, taste, astringent and bitter.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of root shows a thin cork of 4-7 or more tangentially elongated rectangular cells, cork cambium, single layered, and at the lenticel regions followed by 2-3 layers of secondary cortex of thin-walled, almost cubical or rectangular cells, containing small clusters of calcium oxalate in most of cells, phellogen followed by 3-4 layers of thin-walled cells of cortex, some cells of cortex which are above the conical strands of bast, crushed, small starch grains, 6-9 μ in diameter, present in some of the cells , phloem forms the major portions of bark and present as conical strands with their bases towards the wood and with dilate distal ends of the primary medullary ray in between them, fibres, present in groups of 10-12 in these conical strands, in tangential rows, alternating with thin-walled phloem elements, towards wood fibre groups, element in between the fibres mostly consists of phloem parenchyma, Some cells contain cluster crystals of calcium oxalate and a few others have starch grains, some phloem cells towards periphery appear compressed and crushed, inner to phloem, a cambium present, consisting of 1-2 rows of narrow, thin-walled rectangular cells, wood composed of vessels, wood fibres, wood parenchyma and medullary rays vessels vary in diameter and arranged in radial groups of 2-4, also occur in singles, some cells show tyloses formation, parenchyma thick-walled and slightly wider than fibre cells, but less thickened, single or rarely compound starch grains present, tetrarch bundle or primary xylem present at the centre of wood, medullary rays uni or biseriate widen much towards distal ends, most of the ray cells contain starch grains and some contain cluster of calcium oxalate, starch grains present in wood larger than those of bark region, a few ray cells at centre of the root contain rhomboidal crystals.
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 3 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 9 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Asparagin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Snigdha
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Balya, Vatahara, Vrsya, Grahi
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Bala Taila, Narayana Taila, Mahanarayana Taila
THERAPEUTIC USES – Raktapitta, Vatarakta, Meha
DOSE – 3-6 g of the drug in powder form.
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