GUNDRAH (Rhizome and Fruit)
Gundrah consists of rhizome with root of Typha australis Schum. and Thonn. syn. T. angustata Bory and Chaub., (Fam. Typhacem), a hardy perennial, monoecious plant, often growing gregariously in fresh water and marshy places, commonly found throughout India, upto 1730 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Gunthah, Gunthah
Assamese : —
Bengali : Hogalap
English : Lesser Indian Reed-mace
Gujrati : Ghaabaajariyu
Hindi : Pater, Gondpater
Kannada : —
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : —
Marathi : Ramban, Paankanis
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Gundra
Tamil : —
Telugu : Jammugaddi, Enugajamu
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Rhizome – 1 to 5 cm. long and 1 to 2.5 cm. wide pieces, external surface light brown, core yellowish-brown, transverse ridges on external surface, small roots and scaly leaves present attached on runners; fracture, hard, fibrous.
Root – Adventitious, rootlets present, 2 to 15 cm long, yellowish-brown; fracture, fibrous.
b) Microscopic
Rhizome – T.S. shows circular outline; single layered epidermis consisting of tangentially elongated cells, covered with thin cuticle; cortex divided into two parts – outer cortex comprising of 7 to 11 layers of thin walled parenchymatous cells, oval to polygonal in shape, having intercellular spaces; patches consisting of 10 to 35 fibres distributed in the entire outer cortex; fibres thick walled with tapering tips, varying in length from 160 to 930 n and in width from 10 to 30 n; inner cortex consisting of mrenchyma; endodermis single layered; vascular bundles 35 to 42 in number, collateral, conjoint, vessels prominent; pith consisting of thin walled parenchymatous cells with intercellular spaces; starch grains in pith region, single or compound, spherical to oval and measuring from 5 to 25 n in diam.; pith mucilagenous, as seen when mounted in Ruthenium red treated with a few drops of 10% lead acetate solution.
Root – T.S. shows epiblema followed by a 4 to 6 layered hypodermis of thin walled cells and a broad cortex consisting of radially elongated air spaces separated by trabeculm; a few layers of cells forming the innermost layer of cortex, in contact with endodermis; vascular bundles with xylem vessels forming a circle; fibres thick walled with tapering tips, varying in length from 260 to 1480 n and in width from 10 to 24 n.
Powder – Brown, no specific odour and slightly acrid taste; shows abundant starch grains measuring 5 to 25 n in diam., fragments of fibres, parenchyma cells and bordered pitted
vessels.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 10 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 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 8 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on silica gel ‘G’ plates (0.2 mm thick) using chloroform : methanol (80:20) shows under UV (254nm) three spots at Rf. 0.30, 0.58 and 0.72 (all violet). Under UV (366nm) three fluorescent spots appear at Rf. 0.58, 0.62 and 0.72 (all blue). On exposure to iodine vapour five spots appear at Rf. 0.14, 0.30. 0.40, 0.58 and 0.72 (all yellow). On spraying with 10% ethanolic potassium hydroxide and then observing under UV (366nm) shows two fluorescent spots at Rf. 0.58 (green) and 0.62 (blue). On spraying with 10% methanolic-sulphuric acid and heating the plate at 110oC for ten minutes six spots appear at Rf. 0.18 (brown), 0.40 (purple), 0.58 (brown), 0.62, 0.67 (both purple) and 0.76 (brown).
CONSTITUENTS – Flavonoids (Quercetin, isorhamnetin-3-0-rutinoside); sterols (β- sitosterol, lanosterol, cholesterol).
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Kasaya
Guna : Guru
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Mutravirecaniya, Sukrasodhaka, Stanyajanana, Vatahara, Pittasamsamana, Stanyasodhaka, Rajosodhaka, Mutraasodhaka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Mutravirecaniya Kasaya Curna, Stanyajanana Kasaya Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Asmari, Mutrakrcchra, Raktapitta, Sarkara, Mutraghata, Stanya Ksaya
DOSE – 3-6 g.
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