CANDRASURA
Candrasura consists of dried seeds of Lepidium sativum Linn. (Fam. Cruciferae) a small erect, annual herb, about 15-45 cm high, cultivated throughout India.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Candrika
Assamese : Halim
Bengali : Chand Shura, Halim
English : Common Cress
Gujrati : Aseriya, Aseliyo
Hindi : Chansur
Kannada : Allibija, Kapila
Kashmiri : Alian
Malayalam : Asali
Marathi : Ahaliva, Haliv
Oriya : Chandasara, Chandasura
Punjabi : Holan, Taratej
Tamil : Allivirai
Telugu : Adityalu, Aadalu
Urdu : Halim
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Seeds, small, oval-shaped, pointed and triangular at one end, smooth, about 2-3 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, reddish brown, a furrow present on both surfaces extending upto two thirds downward, a slight wing like extension present on both the edges of seed, when soaked in water seed coat swells and gets covered with a transparent, colourless mucilage, taste, mucilaginous.
b) Microscopic
Powder-Cream-yellow with a number of reddish-brown fragments of seed coats, under microscope shows pieces of seed coat, some showing red colouring matter and others with uniformly thick walls, endosperm oily.
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 0.5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 13 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloids, essential oil, fixed oil and mucilage.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu, Ruksa, Ùiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Balapustivivardhana, Vataslesmahrt.
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Kasturyadi (Vayu) Gutika
THERAPEUTIC USES – Atisara, Hikka, Vatarakta
DOSE – 3-6 g of the drug in powder form.
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