KARAMARDA (Stem Bark)
Karamarda consists of dried stem bark of Carissa carandas Linn. (Fam . Apocynacem); a dichotomously branched large shrub or small tree, met throughout India in wild state, sometimes cultivated.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Krsnapakphala
Assamese : —
Bengali : Karamach
English : —
Gujrati : Karamadan
Hindi : Karijige
Kannada : Karimkar
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Karimkar
Marathi : Karamanda
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Garna
Tamil : Kalakke
Telugu : —
Urdu : Karaunda
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Bark occurs in small and thin, flat or slightly curved pieces, rough due to longitudinal striations; external surface brownish-grey, internal surface grey and smooth, light in weight; fracture, short.
b) Microscopic
Stem Bark -Mature bark shows a wide zone of stratified cork having lenticels at a few places; secondary cortex composed of thin-walled, tubular, parenchymatous cells having groups of stone cells; cortical fibres in single or groups of 2-3, a few stone cells attached with cortical fibres; secondary phloem consisting of usual elements; prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate found scattered in cortical cells and phloem parenchyma; starch grains simple, measuring 3-7 n in dia. and compound having 2-3 components, found scattered in cortical and phloem parenchyma cells.
Powder – Greyish-brown, shows single and groups of stone cells, prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate, simple and compound starch grains, measuring 3-7 n india.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 12 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 3 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 8 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 (9 : 1) shows under U.V. (366 nm) one fluorescent zone at Rf. 0.52 (light sky blue). On spraying with Anisaldehyde-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for about fifteen minutes at 1050C four spots appear at Rf. 0.35, 0.58 (both light grey), 0.90 (pink) and 0.97 (violet).
CONSTITUENTS – Glycosides and S-Sitosterol.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Amla
Guna : Guru, Sara
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphahara, Pittakara, Vatahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Marma Gutika.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Kusthahara.
DOSE – 48 g. of the drug for decoction.
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