BILVA (Root)
Bilva consists of dried root of Aegle marmelos Corr. (Fam. Rutaceae); an armed, medium sized tree, occurring in the plains and upto 1000 m in the hills, as well as cultivated throughout the country, particularly in sacred groves.
SYNONYMS
Sansk. : Sriphal
Assam. : Bael, Vael
Beng. : Bela, Bilva
Eng. : Bael Root, Bengal Quince
Guj. : Bilivaphal, Bill, Bilum
Hindi. : Bel, Bela, Sriphal
Kan. : Bilva
Kash. : —
Mal. : Koovalam
Mar. : Baela, Bel
Ori. : Bela
Punj. : Bil
Tam. : Vilvam
Tel. : Maredu
Urdu. : Bel
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root cream yellow or pale yellowish-brown, thin, irregularly and shallowly ridged due to formation of longitudinal and transverse lenticels, surface ruptured, peeling off in layers, internal surface cream to light yellow; fracture, short; taste, sweet.
b) Microscopic
Root shows lignified and stratified cork consisting of 3 or 4 alternating bands of 4-14 layers of smaller cells and a few layers of larger cells having golden yellow contents; secondary cortex, a wide zone, consisting of large, polyhedral, parenchymatous cells and stone cells of varying shapes and sizes, thick-walled, lignified, scattered throughout region; secondary phloem consists of sieve elements, fibres, parenchyma and crystals fibres traversed by phloem rays; some sieve elements compressed, forming tangential bands of ceratenchyma alternating with bands of lignified phloem fibres in outer phloem region, but intact in inner phloem region; phloem parenchyma radially and transversely elongated; phloem fibre groups arranged in concentric rings, fibre groups in inner phloem region extend tangentially from one meduallary ray to another, each group consisting of 2-35 or more cells; fibres long, generally with tapering ends but occasionally forked, lignified, some others have wavy walls; crystal fibres numerous, long, about 9-30 chambered, each containing a prismatic crystal of calcium oxalate; medullary rays uni to triseriate in inner region while bi to pentaseriate in outer region of phloem; cambium consists of 3-7 rows of tangentially elongated to squarish cells; secondary xylem consists of vessels tracheids, fibres and xylem parenchyma; vessels scattered throughout xylem region, in groups of 2-5, single vessels also found, varying in shape and size, mostly drum-shaped, with bordered pits some having a pointed, tail-like process at one end; fibres thick-walled with blunt or pointed tips; xylem parenchyma rectangular in shape; medullary rays uni to triseriate, bi and triseriate rays more common, triseriate rays 12-40 cells high, uniseriate rays 4-10 cells high; prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate present; starch grains simple, 5-19 μ in dia., mostly round to oval with centric hilum; compound starch grains having 2-3 components present in inner few layers of cork cells, secondary cortex, phloem and xylem rays.
Powder – Grey to greyish-brown; shows thick-walled, angular cells of cork, numerous prismatic crystal of calcium oxalate, crystal fibres, starch grains simple, 5-19 μ in dia., mostly round to oval with centric hilum; compound starch grains having 2-3 components, fragments of xylem vessels with bordered pits and thick-walled xylem fibres.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2
Total ash Not more than 6 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 7 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 7 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7
T.L.C –
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using n-Butanol : Acetic acid: Water (4:1:5) shows under UV (366 nm) three fluorescent zones at Rf. 0.54 (bright sky blue). 0.84 (light sky blue) and 0.93 (bright sky blue). On exposure to Iodine vapour seven spots appear at Rf. 0.15, 0.27, 0.54, 0.67, 0.78 and 0.93 (all yellow). On spraying with 5% Methanolic-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate at 105°C for ten minutes eight spots appear at Rf. 0.15, 0.27, 0.32, 0.38 (all grey), 0.54 (yellow) 0.67, 0.84 (light grey) and 0.93 (brown) .
CONSTITUENTS – Auraptene, Coumarins, Glycosides
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Mutrala, Tridosaghna
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Manasa Mitra Vataka, Amrtarista, Dantyadyarista, Agastya Haritaki Rasayana, Dasamularista, Dasamula Kvatha Curna, Bilvadi Leha.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Vatavyadhi, Sotha, Sula, Agnimandya, Chardi, Mutrakrcchra,Amavata
DOSE – 2-6 g. of the drug in powder form.
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