KARANJA (Root Bark)
Karanja consists of dried root bark of Pongamia pinnata (Linn.) Merr., Syn. P. glabra Vent. (Fam. Fabacem), a glabrous tree, upto 18 m or sometimes more in height, found almost throughout the country upto an altitude of 1200 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Karanjaka, Naktamala, Naktahva, Ghrtakaranja
Assamese : Korach
Bengali : Natakaranja, Dahara karanja
English : —
Gujrati : Kanaji
Hindi : Karanj
Kannada : Honge
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Pungu, Ungu
Marathi : Karanja
Oriya : Karanja
Punjabi : Karanj
Tamil : Pungai
Telugu : Ganuga
Urdu : Karanj
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Drug occurs in pieces of varying sizes; reddish-brown externally and yellowishwhite, internally; external surface rough, due to peeling off, of outer thin skin and presence of numerous irregularly scattered and transversely arranged rows of lenticels; fracture, fibrous; taste, very bitter.
b) Microscopic
Root Bark -Shows cork consisting or 5-15 or more rows of rectangular, tangentially elongated, thin-walled, cells; secondary cortex wide composed of polygonal, tangentially elongated cells, most of the cells containing both simple and compound starch grains having 2-5 components round to oval in shape, 3-11 n in dia., a few cells contain yellowish-brown contents and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate; stone cells found scattered in this region in singles and groups, single cells of varying shape and size; secondary phloem very wide, composed of tangentially arranged fibres alternating with sieve tubes and phloem parenchyma, traversed by phloem rays; most of phloem parenchyma cells contain starch grains and crystals, similar to those present in secondary cortex; phloem rays many, mostly straight, 1-2 seriate, consisting of thin-walled, radially elongated cells towards inner region and tangentially elongated towards periphery; most of ray cells contain starch grain, similar to those present in secondary cortex.
Powder -Creamish-yellow; shows thin-walled, parenchymatous cells, cork cells, phloem fibres, stone cells and simple and compound starch grains measuring 3-11 n in diameter.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 11 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 3.5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 17 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) eleven fluorescent zones at Rf. 0.04 (blue), 0.08 (greenish blue), 0.13 (Sky blue), 0.18 (blue) 0.25 (sky blue), 0.31 (sky blue), 0.37 (greenish yellow), 0.42 (sky blue), 0.47 (greenish yellow), 0.51 (light blue), 0.80 (light blue). On exposure to Iodine vapour nine spots appear at Rf. 0.09, 0.18, 0.31, 0.37, 0.47, 0.47, 0.51, 0.80 and 0.98 (all yellow).
CONSTITUENTS – Flavones Kanugin, Demethoxy-kanugin
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphahara, Pittahara, Vatahara, Kandughna, Visaghma, Vranasodhana
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Prabhanajana Vimardana Taila.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Krmiroga, Kandu, Prameha, Kustha, Dustavrana, Yoniroga, Antravidradhi.
DOSE – 1-3 g. of the drug for decoction.
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