DURVA (Whole Plant)
Durva consists of dried whole plant of Cynodon dactylon (Linn.) Pers. (Fam. Poacem), an elegant, tenacious, perennial, creeping grass growing throughout the country and ascending to 2440 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Sataparva, Satavalli, Niladurva
Assamese : Ushb
Bengali : Doorva, Neel Doorva
English : Creeping Cynodon, Dhub Grass
Gujrati : Dhro, Khaddhro, Leelodhro, Neeladhro
Hindi : Doob, Neelee Doob
Kannada : Garikai-Hallu, Garike, Garik Hallu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Karuk, Karukappullu
Marathi : Harlee, Neel durva, Haryali
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Dubea
Tamil : Arukampillu
Telugu : Doolu, Harvali, Garichgaddi
Urdu : Doob Ghas
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root -Fibrous, cylindrical, upto 4 mm thick, minute hair-like roots arise from the main roots; cream coloured.
Stem -Slender, prostrate, upto 1.0 mm thick, jointed, leafy, very smooth, yellowish green in colour.
Leaf – 2 to 10 cm long and 1.25 to 3 mm wide, narrowly linear or lanceolate, finely acute more or less glaucous, soft, smooth, usually conspicuously distichous in the barren shoots and at the base of the stems; sheath light, glabrous or sometimes bearded, ligule a very fine ciliate rim.
b) Microscopic
Root – Mature root shows epiblema or piliferous layer composed of a single layer of thin-walled, radially elongated to cubical cells; hypodermis composed of 1 or 2 layered, thin-walled, tangentially elongated to irregular shaped cells; cortex differentiated into two zones,. 1 or 2 layers of smaller, thin-walled, polygonal, lignified sclerenchymatous and 4 to 6 layers of larger thin-walled, elongated parenchymatous cells; endodermis quite distinct, single layered, thick-walled, tangentially elongated cells; pericycle 1 or 2 layers composed of thin-walled sclerenchymatous cells; vascular bundles consisting of xylem and phloem, arranged in a ring on different radials; xylem exarch, having usual elements; centre occupied by wide pith, composed of oval to rounded thick-walled parenchymatous cells containing numerous simple, round to oval or angular starch grains measuring 4 to 16 n in dia., and compound starch grains having 2 to 4 components
Stem – Oval in outline with a little depression on one side, shows a cuticularised epidermis single layered, having lignified walls; hypodermis 1 or 2 layers, sclerenchymatous; cortex composed of 3 to 5 layers of round to oval thin walled parenchymatous cells; endodermis not distinct; pericycle present in the form of continuous ring of 2 to 5 layers of sclerenchymatous fibres; vascular bundle collateral, closed and scattered throughout the ground mass of parenchyma, each surrounded by sclerenchymatous sheath; vessels simple, spiral, scalariform, and annular; medullary rays not distinct; fibres short, thick walled, having narrow lumen and pointed tips; starch grains simple and compound having 2 to 4 components, present in cortex and ground tissue, simple grains measuring 4 to 16 n in dia.
Leaf – Lamina shows nearly square to oval epidermis having irregularly cutinised outer wall, bulliform cells present on the dorsal side which are grouped together and lie at the bottom of a well defined groove in between the veins; these are thin walled and lack chlorophyll, extend deep into the mesophyll; mesophyll not differentiated into palisade and spongy parenchyma; row of vascular bundles nearly alike, except that the median bundle is larger; bundle sheath single, and consists of thin-walled more or less isodiametric parenchyma cells containing chloroplast; mesophyll tissue broken by 1 or 2 thin-walled colourless cells which extend from bundle sheath to the thin walled parenchymatous band of stereome near upper and lower epidermis.
Powder – Yellowish-green; simple pitted, scalariform, annular and spiral, vessels; short lignified, thick walled, pointed fibres, paracytic stomata; epidermis in surface view, of elongated, rectangular long cells and nearly square small cells having sinuous walls; simple and compound starch grains, measuring 4 to 16 n in dia.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 9 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 4.5 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 9.5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of alcoholic extract of the drug on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Toluene: Ethylacetate (90 : 10) shows in visible light five spots at Rf. 0.1 (green), 0.40 (yellow), 0.45 (green), 0.51 (yellow) and 0.57 (green). On exposure to Iodine vapour six spots appear at Rf. 0.22, 0.40, 0.45, 0.51, 0.57 and 0.64 (all yellow in colour). On spraying with 5% Methanolic-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate at 105oC for ten minutes six spots appear at Rf. 0.22, 0.40, 0.45, 0.51 (all grey), 0.57 (green) and 0.64 (grey).
CONSTITUENTS – Phenolic Phytotoxins (Ferulic, Syringic, P-coumaric, Vanillic, PHydroxybenzoic and O-Hydroxyphenil acetic acid)
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Kaphahara, Pittahara, Sramsana, Rucya
THERAPEUTIC USES – Atisara, Chardi, Daha, Jvara, Raktapitta, Trsa, Murccha, Visarpa, Taktavikara, Tvaka Roga, Kaphaja Jvara, Vataja Jvara, Nasagata Taktapitta
DOSE – Svarasa 10-20 ml.
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