BIMBI (Whole plant)
Bimbi consists of dried whole plant of Coccinia indica W. & A. = C. cordifolia Cogn. Syn. Cephalandra indica Naud. (Fam. Cucurbitaceae); a climbing or prostrate, much branched, perennial herb, growing wild throughout the country.
SYNONYMS
Sansk : Tundika, Tundikeri
Assam : Kawabhaturi
Beng : Bimbu, Telakucha
Eng : Ivy-Gourd
Guj : Kadavighilodi, Ghilodi
Hindi : Kundaruki-Bel
Kan : Tonde-Balli
Kash : —
Mal : Kova, Nallakova
Mar : Tondale
Ori : Pitakundii, Kainchikakudi
Punj : Kanduri
Tam : Kovai
Tel : Donda Tiga
Urdu : Kunduru
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root -Root available in cut pieces with a few lateral roots, surface rough due to longitudinal striations and lenticels, cylindrical, 0.5 -2.5 cm in dia., greyish-brown. Stem -Slender, soft, 0.3-1.5 cm in dia., branched, longitudinally grooved, glabrous, nodes swollen, whitish dots over external surface, a few tendrils attached with nodes, greyish coloured externally and cream to light yellow internally, fracture, fibrous; no odour and taste.
Leaf -Petiolate, petiole cylindrical, simple 2-3.2 cm long, 3.8-9 cm or rarely 10 cm long, palmately lobed, with 3 to 5 lobes or angles, lobes broad, obtuse or acute, more or less sinuate, occasionally constricted at the base, often with circular patches of glands between nerves; lamina bright green above, paler beneath, surface studded and sometimes rough with papillae.
Flower -Ebracteate, pedicellate, incomplete, unisexual, actinomorphic, pentamerous. Male Flower pedicel 2-3.8 cm long, subfiliform, calyx tube glabrous, broadly campanulate, 4.5 mm long linear; corolla 2.5 cm long, white, veined, pubescent inside, glabrous outside, segments 4.5 -7.5 mm long, triangular, acute, staminal column glabrous, capitulum of anthers subglobose; Female Flower pedicel 1.3 – 2.5 cm long, calyx and corolla as in male flowers; staminodes 3, subulate, 3 mm long, ovary fusiform, glabrous, slightly ribbed, stigma 3, bifid.
Fruit -A pepo, ovoid, glabrous, 3.5 – 4.5 cm long and 1.5-2 cm thick, greenish-brown to yellowish-brown with white linings; no odour and taste.
Seed – Somewhat obovoid, 0.7 cm long and 0.2-0.3 cm wide rounded at apex, much compressed, yellowish-grey.
b) Microscopic
Root – Shows 7 or more rows of thin-walled cork cells having lenticels at places; secondary cortex 4-7 layered, oval to elliptical, tangentially elongated, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells having groups of oval to rectangular, elongated stone cells in lower region; secondary phloem composed of usual elements; phloem fibres absent; secondary xylem consists of usual elements; vessels mostly solitary with simple pits; tracheids simple pitted; fibres simple pitted with pointed tips and arranged around the vessels; medullary rays 6-10 or more cells wide; starch grains abundant, simple, round to oval, measuring 3-11 μ in dia., and compound having 2-4 components present in secondary cortex, phloem and xylem parenchyma and ray cells.
Stem -Mature stem with ridges and furrows, shows a single layered epidermis composed of tabular cells externally covered with cuticle, or the epidermis interrupted at certain places due to formation of cork cells; collenchyma 2-4 layered consisting of isodiametric cells; secondary cortex narrow, consisting of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells; pericycle present in the form of discontinuous ring of pericyclic fibres; vascular bundles 10 in number, bicollateral, widely separated by broad strips of ground tissue arranged in a single ring, inner part of which almost meeting at centre of stem; secondary phloem consists of sieve-tubes, companion cells and phloem parenchyma; inner phloem semilunar in shape; secondary xylem in the centre of each bundle, consists of vessels, tracheids, fibres and xylem parenchyma; vessels numerous uniformly scattered throughout xylem, lignified, pitted and with spiral thickening; tracheids pitted; pith small, composed of thin walled parenchymatous cells.
Leaf –
Petiole – Shows single layered epidermis, consisting of flattened, tangentially elongated cells, covered externally with, striated cuticle; cortex differentiated into 2-5 layered collenchyma and 2-6 layered circular, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells with conspicuous intercellular spaces; vascular bundles bicollateral, arranged in a single ring, usually nine, seven larger and two smaller, traversed by wide parenchymatous cells of medullary rays; some bundles capped by one or two layered, thick-walled, lignified, polygonal pericyclic sclerenchyma; centre occupied by very wide pith composed of large isodiametric parenchymatous cells.
Midrib -Single layered epidermis, on either side, externally covered with striated cuticle, followed by 1-3 layers of well developed collenchyma on the dorsal side and 3-5 layers on the ventral side; vascular bundles, bicollateral, three, ventral larger and two dorsal smaller; layers of collenchymatous cells gradually reduce to 2 or 3 towards dorsal side, 1 or 2 on ventral side and ultimately towards apex of leaf, collenchyma reduces to 1 layer on ventral side and 2 layers on dorsal side; parenchyma 2-3 layered on both sides; vascular bundles single, semicircular; vessels arranged in radial rows.
Lamina -Dorsiventral structure with single layered upper and lower epidermis, externally covered with striated cuticles; epidermal cells show almost straight walls and anomocytic stomata in surface view; below upper epidermis palisade single layered; spongy parenchyma represented by 3-6 layers of loosely arranged cells, a number of veins surrounded by parenchyma, present in mesophyll.
Fruit -Epicarp single layered; mesocarp composed of a wide zone of thin-walled parenchymatous cells differentiated into two regions, outer 5-6 layers rectangular to polygonal, smaller in size, while inner region composed of oval to polygonal cells of larger size; a few fibro-vascular bundles present in this region.
Seed -Testa show ridges and furrows at a few places, more prominent at lateral sides, and consisting of oval to polygonal, thin-walled parenchymatous cells, upper most layer forms radially elongated thin-walled colourless cells; tegmen consists of single layered radially elongated, thin walled, lignified cells, followed by a layer of thin-walled, collapsed parenchymatous cells; a few starch grains 3-6 μ in dia. scattered in this region; embryo consists of hexagonal to polygonal, thin-walled cells having a few oil globules.
Powder – Greyish-brown; shows groups of round to polygonal parenchymatous cells, reticulate, spiral and pitted vessels, aseptate fibres, palisade cells, stone cells, simple and compound, round to oval, starch grains, measuring 3-11 μ in diameter, fragments of epidermis with straight walled cells and anomocytic stomata.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2
Total ash Not more than 21 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 2 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 14 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7
T.L.C. –
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Chloroform: Methanol : Ammonia (90:18:2) shows under UV (366 nm) three fluorescent zones at Rf. 0.23 (blue), 0.47 (red) and 0.61 (blue). On spraying with Dragendorff reagent one spot appears at Rf. 0.38 (orange).
CONSTITUENTS – Saponins and Fixed Oil in seeds.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Tikta
Guna : Guru, Ruksa
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Pittahara, Vatakara, Atirucya, Lekhhana, Stambhana, Vibandhadhmanakara, Chardikara.
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Vastyamayantaka Ghrta
THERAPEUTIC USES – Kasa, Svasa, Jvara, Raktavikara, Daha. Sopha, Pandu.
DOSE – 3-6 g. of the drug in powder form.
5-10 ml. (Svarasa).
Latest Govt Job & Exam Updates: