KULANJANA (Rhizome)
Kulanjana consists of dried rhizome of Alpinia galanga Willd. (Fam. Zingiberacem), a plant upto about 2.0 m high bearing perennial rhizome, growing in eastern Himalayas and southwest India.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Sugandhmula, Malaya, Vaca, Sthulagranthih, Mahabhari Vaca, Rasna (South)
Assamese : Khulanjaana
Bengali : Kulanjan, Kurachi Vach
English : Greater galangal, Javagalangal
Gujrati : Kulinjan Jaanu, Kolinjan
Hindi : Kulanjan, Kulinjan
Kannada : Doddarasagadde, Dhoomraasmi
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Aratta, Ciffaratta
Marathi : Kulinlan, Koshta Kulinjan, Mothe Kolanjan
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Arattai, Sittarattai
Telugu : Dumparaastramu
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – The roots are adventitious, in groups, fibrous, persistent in dried rhizomes, about 0.5 to 2 cm long and 0.1 to 0.2 cm in diameter and yellowish-brown in colour.
Rhizome – Rhizome cylindrical, branched, 2 to 8 cm in diameter, longitudinally ridged with prominent rounded warts (remnants of roots) marked with fine annulations; scaly leaves arranged circularly; externally reddish-brown, internally orange yellow in colour; fracture, hard and fibrous; fracture, surface rough; odour, pleasant and aromatic; spicy and sweet in taste.
b) Microscopic
Root – T.S. of root circular in outline, single layered epidermis with barrel shaped cells having unicellular root hairs, hypodermis 3 or 4 cells deep and sclerenchymatous, cortex parenchymatous, many cells deep, with well developed intercellular spaces; endodermis showing prominent casparian strips and ‘v’ shaped thickening, followed by many celled sclerenchymatous pericycle; xylem and phloem in separate radial strands; centre occupied with a parenchymatous pith.
Rhizome – T.S. of young rhizome circular in outline; epidermal cells small and angular, thick cuticle present, rhizome differentiated into a wide cortex and a central cylinder, both regions having irregularly scattered vascular bundles, each vascular bundle with a prominent fibrous sheath; inner limit of cortex marked by rectangular parenchymatous cells; stele with irregular, closely placed vascular bundles towards periphery, root traces present, schizogenous canals and oil cells with suberized walls found in cortex and in central region; most of the parenchymatous cells filled with starch grains which are ellipsoidal to ovoid, sometimes beaked, simple, 10 to 64 nm, hilum eccentric, circular or crescent shaped at the broad end, the narrow beak-like end become black when stained with dil. iodine water and chlor-zinc iodide but the remaining part become light blue or brown. Macerated prepration shows vessels 95 to 710 nm long and 19 to 190 nm broad, tracheidal fibres 68 to 920 nm long and 19 to 30 nm broad.
Powder – Powder is orange brown in colour, spicy and sweet in taste, shows parenchymatous cells containing starch (as described under microscopy of rhizome), oil cells, schizogenous canals, vessels with scalariform and reticulate thickenings and tracheidal fibres.
IDENTIFICATION TEST –
One drop of an extract of 1 g dried powdered material with ethanol placed on filter paper and observed under UV light does not show fluorescence; (distinction from ‘lesser galangal’ Alpinia officinarum which gives bluish fluorescence).
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 5 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 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 13 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
Starch Not less than 22 per cent, Appendix 2.2.13.
Essential oil Not less than 0.4 per cent, Appendix 2.2.10.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the methanolic extract on precoated silica gel ‘G’ plates (0.2 mm thick) using toluene : ethyl acetate : methanol (80:20:0.4) shows under UV (366 nm) blue fluorescent zones of yellow, green and blue at Rf. 0.15, 0.25, 0.69 respectively. On spraying with anisaldehyde-sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for ten minutes at 120oC, spots appear at Rf. 0.15 (greyish green), 0.35 (violet), 0.48 (greyish green), 0.63 (greyish green), 0.69 (green) and 0.91 (violet).
CONSTITUENTS – Essential oil, containing α – pinene, β – pinene, limonene, cineol, terpinen – 4 – ol and α – terpineol.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Guru
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Hrdya, Kanthya, Kaphahara, Rucya, Svarya, Vatahara, Visaghna, Pacani, Mukha Sodhaka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Brahmi Vati, Rasnadikasaya, Rasnadarvadi Kasaya, Rasnapancakam, Rasna Saptakam, Rasnasunthyadi Kasaya, Rasnairandadi Kasaya
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sopha, Svasa, Hikka, Pratisyaya, Vatavyadhi, Udararoga, Kampa, Vismajvara, Kaphajakasa, Asti, Mahakustha., Vataja Sula
DOSE – 1-3 g powder.
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