GHONTA (Fruit)
Ghonta consists of fruit of Ziziphus xylopyrus Willd. (Fam. Rhamnacem), a straggling shrub distributed in North-West India, U.P., Bihar and South India, in moist deciduous forests.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Ghoti, Gotika
Assamese : —
Bengali : Kulphal
English : Jujab
Gujrati : Gatbadar, Gatabordi
Hindi : Ghunta, Kakora, Kaathabera
Kannada : Yeranu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : —
Marathi : Ghoti, Bhorghoti
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Kottai, Mulkottai
Telugu : Gotti, Got, Gotiki
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Fruit is a drupaceous berry, globular or rounded, diameter 1.2 to 1.8 cm; surface rough, warty; colour dark brown; point of detachment of stalk marked by a rounded concave depression upto 2 mm in diameter and a raised ring along the circumference; a pointed beak at the opposite end; occasionally seen; pericarp leathery and hard; endocarp stony; fruit 3-celled, each locule with one dark brown, orbicular, compressed, beaked, seed 5 to 8 mm across; cotyledons creamish yellow; odour not very distinct; taste, slightly astringent.
b) Microscopic
A transverse section of the fruit reveals a thick cuticle followed by epidermis consisting of unevenly arranged rounded cells; scattered thick-walled, uniseriate, multicellular trichomes present on epidermis; mesocarp with three zones – narrow outer and inner zones of small, compactly arranged parenchyma cells; a third wide middle spongy zone composed of thin walled parenchyma cells, lacunated and containing scattered vascular strands; endocarp consisting of thick walled stone cells, narrow fibres and a few lacunm, some stone cells containing prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate up to 12 n in size; occasional inroads of mesocarp into the endocarp also seen; epidermis and a few outer layers of mesocarp adjacent to it contain abundant brown substances. A section through the testa shows radially elongated, narrow, transluscent cells, followed by a subepidermal zone of crushed, thin walled, parenchyma cells demarcated inside by a reddish brown lining. A section through the cotyledons shows an outermost epidermal layer of small, squarish cells and a ground tissue composed of rectangular thin walled, prominently nucleated cells rich in fixed oil.
Powder – Thick walled uniseriate, multicellular, 200 to 260 n long trichomes; fibres (upto 50 n in width) and angular stone-cells with radial canals and circular striations, 40 to 170 n in size are seen- tissue fragments of epidermis in surface view present.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 12 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 1 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 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on silica gel ‘G’ plate (0.2 mm thick) using chloroform : methanol (95:5) as mobile phase shows on spraying with methanolic: sulphuric acid reagent and on heating the plate for ten minutes at 110oC spots at Rf. 0.24 (Pink), 0.39 (Pinkish orange), 0.48 (Yellow), 0.61 (Pink), 0.71 (Blue).
CONSTITUENTS – The pulp of the fruit contains reducing sugars, sucrose, citric acid, carotene, vitamin C and tannins.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Katu, Kasaya
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Visaghna, Vatakaphahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Aragvadhadi Kvatha Curana
THERAPEUTIC USES – Dustavrana, Jvara, Kandu, Kustha, Prameha, Raktavikara, Vrana, Svayathu, Nadivrana, Vamana
DOSE – 3-6 g.
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