KARANJA (Stem Bark)
Karanja consists of dried stem 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 : Ghrtakaranja, Karanjaka, Naktahva, Naktamala
Assamese : Korach
Bengali : Dahara karanja, Karanja, Natakaranja
English : —
Gujrati : Kanaji
Hindi : Karanj
Kannada : Honge
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Pungu, Ungu
Marathi : Karanja
Oriya : Karanja
Punjabi : Karanj
Tamil : Pungai
Telugu : Ganuga, Kanuga
Urdu : Karanj
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Bark available in channelled, recurved, slightly quilled, usually 0.2-1 cm thick, lenticellate pieces, more or less smooth; outer surface ash-grey to greyish-brown and internal surface yellowish-white to cream coloured; fracture, short and fibrous, odour, unpleasant; taste, bitter.
b) Microscopic
Bark – Shows 5-20 or more layers of cork, composed of rectangular, thick-walled cells, filled with reddish-brown content, at some places lenticels also appear; secondary cortex 10-15 layered having oval to polygonal, tangentially elongated, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells; beneath secondary cortex a large group of oval to elongated stone cells, arranged in a tangential manner, forming a continuous or discontinuous band; secondary phloem composed of sieve elements, phloem parenchyma, phloem fibre and stone cells, traversed by medullary rays; sieve elements and parenchyma composed of rectangular to polygonal thin-walled cells, alternating with stone cells; fibre small, polygonal, thin-walled and aseptate, a few associated with stone cells and arranged radially; medullary rays wavy, usually 2-4 cells wide, radially elongated and rounded to oval in shape, a few stone cells scattered in secondary cortex as in secondary phloem; rhomboidal crystals of calcium oxalate found in secondary cortex; starch grains simple, rounded to oval and compound having 2-4 components, present in secondary cortex, phloem parenchyma and rays cells; oil globules found in secondary phloem only.
Powder -Yellowish-cream; shows groups of rectangular to polygonal, elongated, thin walled parenchymatous sieve tube; aseptate fibre and stone cells; rhomboidal crystals of
calcium oxalate; rounded to oval, simple and compound starch grains, measuring 3-14 n in dia, and rarely, oil globules.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 13 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 1.5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 3 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 18 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Flavones and Furanoflavones like Karanjin, Pongapin, Demethoxykanugin, Kanugin, Pinnatin, Tetra-o-Methylfisetin, Gamatin, 5-Methoxyfurano (2″, 3″ 7 : 8), flavone and 5-Methoxy-3’4′ Methylene dioxyfurano (2″, 3″, 7 : 8) flavone & two new Furano compounds Glabra-I and Glabra-II. It also contains alkaloids and Triterpenoid saponin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Tiksna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kandughna, Kaphahara, Pittahara, Vatahara, Visaghma, Vranasodhana
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Brhanmanjishadi Kvatha Curna, Mustakaranjadi Kvatha Curna.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Dustavrana, Antravidradhi, Krmiroga, Kandu, Kustha, Prameha, Vidradhi., Yoniroga
DOSE – 1-2 g. of the drug in powder form.
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