KAKAMACI (Whole Plant)
Kakamaci consists of the dried whole plant of Solanum nigrum Linn. (Fam. Solanacem); a herbaceous annual weed, 30-45 cm high, found throughout the country in dry parts, quite common in cultivated lands, road sides and gardens.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Dhvanksamaci
Assamese : Kakamachi, Pikachia, Datkachu
Bengali : Gudakamai
English : Garden Night Shade
Gujrati : Piludi
Hindi : Makoya
Kannada : Ganikayeagida, Ganikegida, ganike, Ganikesopu, Kage hanninagids
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Karinthakkali, Manatakkali, Manjathakkali
Marathi : Kamoni
Oriya : Lunlunia, Lunilunika
Punjabi : Mako
Tamil : Manarthakkali, Manaththakkali, Manitakkali, Maniththakkali
Telugu : Kamanchi
Urdu : Makoh
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – Tap root with a few branches and numerous small lateral roots, externally smooth, pale brown; bark thin, easily peeled off exposing pale yellow wood.
Stem – Erect, glabrous or pubescent, green, rounded at the basal region and angular at the apical region, slightly woody and branched.
Leaf – Simple, 2.5-8.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, ovate or oblong, sinuate, toothed or lobed, narrowed at both ends; petiolate, thin.
Flower – Small, extra-axillary, sub-umbellate, 3-8 flowered cymes, peduncles 6-20 mm long, slender; pedicels 6-10 mm long, very slender; calyx 2-3 mm long, glabrous, five lobed, oblong, obtuse, 1.25 mm long; corolla 4-8 mm long, divided more than half way down into 5 oblong sub-acute lobes, white or pale violet; filaments short, flattened, hairy at base; anther 1.2-2.5 mm long, yellowish, oblong, obtuse notched at apex; ovary globose, glabrous; style cylindric, hairy in lower part.
Fruit – A berry, 6mm in dia., obtuse, usually purplish-black but sometimes red, yellow or black; smooth shining
Seed – Discoid, 1.5 mm in dia., smooth, minutely pitted, yellow.
b) Microscopic
Root -Shows cork consisting of 2-4 rows of tangentially elongated cells; cortex of large, slightly elongated, thin-walled cells having patches of lignified sclerenchyma fibres, most of the cortical cells contain oval to round, starch grains, measuring 2.5-11 n in dia., single or with two or rarely 3 components; a few parenchyma cells contain microsphenoidal crystals of calcium oxalate; phloem consists of thin-walled, polygonal cells, phloem rays uniseriate, filled with starch grains; xylem composed of vessels and parenchyma; vessels arranged in groups of 2-4 in radial rows; parenchyma thick-walled containing microsphenoidal crystals of calcium oxalate; rays composed of thin-walled, radially elongated cells.
Stem – Shows single layered, epidermis of cubical to barrel-shaped cells, covered with thick, slightly striated cuticle; trichomes multicellular, uniseriate; secondary cortex composed of 2-4 layered collenchyma, but 4- 10 layered in angular parts; tangentially elongated,’ oval parenchymatous cells, some containing numerous microsphenoidal crystals of calcium oxalate and simple, oval to round starch grains, measuring 2.5-8.25 n in dia., endoderrnis single layered; pericycle consists of intermittent ring of patches of fibres either isolated or in groups of 2-4; vascular bundles-collateral, conjoint and open; cambium 2-4 layered; xylem vessels arranged radially smaller being towards centre, showing spiral thickening and simple perforations; tracheids pointed tipped and with pitted walls; xylem rays homogenous, uniseriate; internal phloem, in small or large patches, usually accompanied by fibres, embedded in perimedullary zones; pith large, composed of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells with small intercellular spaces, a few cells containing microsphenoidal crystals of calcium oxalate.
Leaf– Petiole – shows single layered epidermis of oval or tangentially elongated cells, covered with striated cuticle; covering trichomes, uniseriate, 3-5 celled having pointed tips and
warty walls, glandular hairs with 1-2 celled stalk and 2-7 celled head; epidermis single layered; chlorenchyma 2-3 layered, compactly arranged; 5-8 layered parenchyma consisting of round, thin-walled cells with smaller intercellular spaces, a few containing microsphenoidal crystals of calcium oxalate; central vascular bundle shallow, arcshaped, bicollateral; two smaller bundles present laterally on either side of main vascular bundles one in each lateral wing of the petiole.
Midrib – shows upper and lower epidermis of round to oval cells, covered with striated cuticle, trichomes similar to those found on petiole; collenchyma 2-3 layered on both surfaces; parenchyma 4-6 layered, thin-walled with small intercellular spaces; arc-shaped bicollateral vascular bundle placed centrally.
Lamina – dorsiventral, both upper and lower epidermis single layered, composed of oval to tangentially elongated cells covered with thick cuticle; palisade single layered; spongy parenchyma 4-6 layered containing chloroplasts with intercellular spaces; a few vessels with spiral thickenings, present beneath palisade parenchyma; in surface preparation a large number of multicellular, warty hairs with pointed tips and glandular hairs are present; epidermis with irregular outline, stomata anisocytic, scattered on both surfaces but more abundant in lower surface; palisade ratio 2-4; vein islet number 7-10; stomatal index 15-17 on upper epidermis and 22-23 on lower epidermis.
Fruit – Shows thin, papery epicarp, pulpy mesocarp and exile placentation; seeds at first remain attached to the placenta but afterwards separate from it and lie free in pulp of fruit.
Powder – Creamish-green; shows fragments of vessels with spiral thickening; a few broken pieces of pointed, unicellular hairs; single, oval to round and compound with three components of starch grains, measuring 2.5 – 11 n in diameter.
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 7 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 of the drug on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Toluene :
Ethylacetate (90 : 10) shows two spots at Rf. 0.06 & 0.34 (both brown) in visible light. Under U.V. light (366 nm) two fluorescent zones are visible at Rf. 0.06 & 0.34 (both pink). On exposure to Iodine vapour three spots appear at Rf. 0.06, 034 and 0.97 (all yellow).
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloids and Saponins.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu, Sara, Snigdha
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Bhedana, Hrdya, Kaphahara, Pittahara, Rasayana, Svarya, Vatahara, Vrsya
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Hrdayarnava Rasa, Maha Visagarbha Taila, Rasaraja Rasa.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sotha, Arsa, Hrdroga, Jvara, Kandu, Kustha, Prameha, Hikka. Chardi, Netraroga.
DOSE – 5 -10 ml. of the drug in juice form.
Latest Govt Job & Exam Updates: