DHATTURA (Whole Plant)
Dhattura consists of dried whole plant of Datura metel Linn. Syn. D. fastuosa L.; (Fam. Solanacem), occurring wild throughout the country.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Kanaka, Unmatta, Dhustura
Assamese : Dhatura
Bengali : Dhatura
English : White Thorn Apple
Gujrati : Dhanturo
Hindi : —
Kannada : Ummatti, Madagunaki, Dathura
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Umman, Ummatt, Ummattu
Marathi : Dhotra
Oriya : Dudura
Punjabi : Dhatura
Tamil : Umattai
Telugu : Tella-ummettha
Urdu : Dhatura
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – Cylindrical with lateral branches, brown coloured, rough due to fissures and root scars; fracture, splintery; odour, not characteristic; taste, bitter.
Stem – Dichotomously branched, cylindrical, blackish-dark to purple colour, internode very short; fracture, short; odour, not characteristic; taste, bitter.
Leaf – Petiolate, pubescent; 6 to 11 cm long, 2 to 8 cm broad; ovate, acute, repand and dentate, but sometimes entire, base unequal, odour, not characteristic; taste, bitter.
Flower – Stalked, stalk finely pubescent, calyx upto 10 cm long, tubular, lobes acuminate; corolla purple or purple tinged outside, upto 15 cm long, usually double, sometime triple (3 whorls), funnel-shaped, lobes 5 for each whorl; stamen -5, epipetalous with-connivent anthers, anther 10 to 12 mm long; gynoecium-bicarpellary, carpels placed obliquely in relation to mother axis, placentation axile, placenta swollen, ovule numerous.
Fruit – Capsule, ovate to obovate with persistent reflexed calyx; about 4 cm long, 3 cm wide, covered with short, stout, spines; taste, bitter and acrid.
Seed – Light brown, reniform, compressed, flattened, 0.4 to 0.5 cm long, and 0.4 cm wide, foveate, surface finely pitted; taste, bitter and acrid (warning -poisonous).
b) Microscopic
Root – Shows 4 to 7 layers of thin-walled, rectangular cork cells; secondary cortex composed of 3 to 4 layers, thin-walled, parenchymatous, tangentially elongated cells; secondary phloem composed of usual elements, traversed by phloem rays; secondary xylem composed of usual elements; vessels two types with spiral thickening or with bordered pits; xylem rays 1 to 4 cells wide; sandy microsphenoidal crystal of calcium oxalate scattered in the secondary cortex and phloem parenchyma.
Stem – Shows a single layered, epidermis covered by striated, thick cuticle having a few unicellular trichomes, followed by 2 or 3 layered, ruptured, rectangular cork cells; secondary cortex consisting of 4 to 7 layered, collenchymatous and 2 to 5 layered parenchymatous cells; endodermis distinct, containing starch grains; pericycle consists of 1 or 2 layers of parenchyma and pericyclic fibres in singles or groups of 2 or 3 or more; secondary phloem composed of sieve elements and parenchyma but no fibres; secondary xylem composed of vessels, tracheids, fibres and parenchyma; vessels with spiral thickening and pits; sandy crystals of calcium oxalate are found scattered in secondary cortex and phloem parenchyma; starch grains oval to rounded, simple, measuring 3 to 7 n in dia., present in secondary cortex and phloem parenchyma.
Leaf
Petiole – shows plano-convex outline, cuticularised single layered epidermis, followed by cortex composed of 7 or 8 rows of round to polygonal, thick-walled, collenchyma cells and 2 or 3 rows of thin-walled, round to polygonal, parenchyma cells; vascular bundles bicollateral in a discontinuous ring, number of sandy microsphenoidal, a few rosette and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate present in cortex and pith region.
Midrib – shows similar structure to that of petiole; collenchyma well developed in basal region and poorly in middle and upper region; cortex and endodermal cells containing simple and compound, oval to round, mostly eccentric starch grains measuring 2 to 4 n in dia. with 2 or 3 components; cortical cells large hexagonal to round, without any crystals.
Lamina – shows cuticularised single layered epidermal cells bearing both glandular and non-glandular trichomes on both surfaces; non-glandular trichomes uniseriate, mostly multicellular; a few unicellular trichomes with warty surface; glandular trichomes short, stalked with multicellular, globose head; mesophyll differentiated into palisade parenchyma of single layer and spongy parenchyma of 6 to 8 layers, having numerous rosette and a few micro sphenoidal crystals of calcium oxalate; stomata anisocytic, present on both surfaces; stomatal index 16 to 17 on upper surface, 17 to 23 on lower surface; palisade ratio 5 to 6; vein islet number 19 to 22 per sq. mm.
Seed – Shows an outline with bulges at 3 places, single layered epidermis with elongated cells; seed coat consists of thick-walled, lignified, sclerenchymatous cells, forming club shaped structure, followed by 3 to 5 layered, more or less tangentially elongated, parenchymatous cells; endosperm composed of polygonal, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells filled with aleurone grains and abundant oil gloubles, embryo more or less curved.
Powder – Greyish-brown; shows fragments of both glandular and non-glandular trichomes; glandular trichomes short stalked with multicellular globose heads; non glandular trichomes unbranched, long, mostly multicellular, a few unicellular trichomes with warty surfaces; anisocytic stomata, vessels with spiral thickening, a few sandy micro sphenoidal and rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; simple, oval to round starch grains measuring 2 to 7 n in dia., and compound starch grains with 2 or 3 components.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 16 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 4 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 4 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 15 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Chloroform: Methanol (80:20) shows under U.V. (366 nm) three fluorescent zones at Rf. 0.65 (blue), 0.67 (pink) and 0.98 (pink). On exposure to Iodine vapour nine spots appear at Rf. 0.07, 0.15, 0.37, 0.48, 0.61, 0.67, 0.83, 0.89 and 0.98 (all yellow). On spraying with Dragendorff reagent followed by sodium nitrite solution, two spots appear at Rf. 0.11 and 0.98 (both orange yellow).
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloids (Hyoscine) and two withanolide Glucosides (Dhaturametelin A & B)
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Katu, Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Guru, Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphahara, Varnya, Madakari, Agni Vrddhikara, Jangama Visahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Kanakasava, Ekangavira Rasa, Puspadhanva Rasa, Tribhuvana Kirti Rasa, Sri Jayamangala Rasa, Laghu Visagarbha Taila, Visatinduka Taila, Dhattura Taila
THERAPEUTIC USES – Svasa, Jvara, Krmi, Kandu, Kasa, Kustha, Unmada, Vrna, Mutrakrccha, Tvaka Dosa, Yika Liksa, Alarka Visa, Karma, Nadi, Indralupta, Padadaha, Sthanusthita Pida
DOSE – 100 – 200 mg.
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