KAKANAJA (Fruit)
Kakanaja consists of dried mature fruit of Physalis alkekengi Linn. (Fam. Solanacem), it occurs in S. Europe through China to Japan; it does not occur in India, but fruits are available in the Indian bazaar, in the name of kakanaja.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Rajaputrika
Assamese : —
Bengali : Kakanaja
English : Winter cherry, Bladder cherry
Gujrati : Kakanaja
Hindi : Kakanaja
Kannada : Kakanaja
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Kakanaja
Marathi : Kakanaja
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Kaaknaj
Tamil : Sisayakkaali, Tottakkaali
Telugu : Kupante
Urdu : Kakanaj
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Red coloured berry, globose, about 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, outer surface wrinkled, with dried flesh; unilocular, completely packed with seeds, overlapping, centrally oriented, insignificant placenta present; seeds 1.8 to 2.2 mm, numerous, flat, with curved embryo, hilum in the concavity; fruit sweet and sour in taste.
b) Microscopic
Fruit – Cuticle present; fruit wall not distinguishable as epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp clearly; the outer layer consists of a single layer of non lignified, thin walled cell with brown contents; below this are a few layers of horizontally oriented cells with orange contents and loosely arranged layers of parenchyma, with mucilage cells; inner layers of the fruit wall and the placentm proliferate into the locule packed with minute seeds.
Seed – T.S. is elongated with a projection at both ends; testa has an outermost papillose thin walled cells followed by thickened sclereids, which appear bone shaped at the projected parts, the latter showing pits on their walls; below are 2 or 3 layers of thin walled cells followed by a thick cuticle and inner lignified single layered tegmen; endosperm contains thin walled polygonal parenchymatous cells filled with aleurone grains, oil globules and occasional sandy calcium oxalate crystals; embryo curved if present.
Powder – The powder is brownish-orange in colour; shows sclereids, parenchymatous cells, endospermic parenchymatous cells rich in oil and aleurone grains.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 6 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 10 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 22 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on silica gel ‘G’ (0.2 mm thick ness) plate using toluene : methanol (7:3) shows eleven bands at Rf. 0.11 (dark brown), 0.38, 0.44, 0.46, 0.52, 0.56 (all light grey), 0.66 (dark brown), 0.72, 0.78, 0.83, 0.88 (all light grey), on spraying with 5% Ethanolic-sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for ten minutes at 105oC.
CONSTITUENTS – Auroxanthin, mutatoxanthin, phydalein, zeaxanthin, β- Cryptoxanthin from the calyx of the fruit; glycoalkaloids detected in the seeds but alkaloids were absent in the fruit.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Tikta
Guna : Ruksa
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Balya, Mutrala, Vatahara, Dahasamaka, Virecana, Sulanasini, Raktavidravani
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Lauha Rasayana
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sopha, Svasa, Jvara, Kasa, Kandu, Visarpa, Vrana, Puyameha, Tamakasvasa
DOSE – 5-10 g. in the powder form.
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