GAMBHARI
Gambhari consists of dried, mature root and root bark of Gmelina arborea Roxb. (Fam. Verbenaceae) , tree about 18 m high, with a clear bole of 6-9 m and a girth of 1.5-2.1 m, found in the lower Himalayas, the Nilgiris and the East and West Coasts of India.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Kasmari, Kasmarya
Assamese : Gamari
Bengali : Gambhar, Gamar
English : Candhar Tree
Gujrati : Shivan
Hindi : Gambhar, Khambhari
Kannada : Shivanigida, Shivani
Kashmiri : Kashmari
Malayalam : Kumizhu, Kumpil
Marathi : Shivan
Oriya : Gambhari
Punjabi : Gumhar, Kumhar
Tamil : Kumishan, Kumizhan
Telugu : Peggummudu, Peggummadi
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – Occurs in pieces with secondary and tertiary branches, root pieces nearly cylindrical with uneven surface, greyish brown, fracture somewhat tough in bark, brittle and predominant in woody portion. Root bark-mature root bark when fresh, yellowish in colour, dry pieces curved and channelled, thinner ones forming single quills, external surface rugged due to presence of vertical cracks, ridges, fissures and numerous lenticels, fracture short and granular, taste, mucilaginous, sweetish with slight bitterness.
b) Microscopic
Root-transverse section of root shows 6-8 layers of cork cells, secondary cortex, including primary and secondary phloem about two third consisting of wood, cork brownish, cells arranged in tangential direction and broken at places towards upper layers, cortex characterised by the presence of thin-walled parenchymatous cells with starch grains , resin ducts present in abundance throughout cortex, scattered stone cells fibre like or elongated common, fibres present, occurring mostly in singles, cells of cortex also contain rosette crystals of calcium oxalate and oil globules, primary phloem characterised by the presence of sieve tubes with companion cells, phloem parenchyma, soft bast fibres and ray cells, phloem fibres occur singly and scattered cortical cells 40-70 n by 25-35 n and bast fibres, 300-1000 n by 10-15 n development of cork takes place in second or third layer of primary cortex, wood consists of simple pitted wood parenchyma and medullary rays, wood cells mainly composed of vessels and tracheids and inner wood consists of a major portion of fibres together with a few vessels, vessels numerous and form almost a ring near the periphery of xylem cylinder and somewhat spares, being scattered in groups or singly nearer the central region, lumen of vessels somewhat large, dimensions of vessels 130-250 n by 50-100 n and those of the tracheids 175-300 n by 30-50 n wood fibres abundant and with simple pits , cambium distinct, medullary rays generally 1-2 celled thick with abundant starch grains cells oblong to rectangular.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 0.3 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 20 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloids and lignans (arboreal, isoarboreal and related lignans).
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Guru
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Sothahara, Bhedana, Dipana, Pacana, Tridosajit, Visaghna, Medhya, Jvarahara.
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Dasamularisa, Dasamulaharitaki, Dasamula Ghrta, Dasamula Sapalaka Ghrta
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sotha, Daha, Jvara, Trsna, Arsa
DOSE – 20-30 g of the drug for decoction.
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