KUNKUMA (Style and Stigma)
Kunkuma consists of dried style and stigma from the flowers of Crocus sativus Linn. (Fam. Iridacem), a small bulbous perennial, 15 to 25 cm high and cultivated by corms in the Kashmir valley, specially in the Pampor plateau, at about 1600 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Kesara, Ghusina, Kasmira, Rakta
Assamese : Kumkum
Bengali : Jafran
English : Saffron
Gujrati : Keshar, Kesar
Hindi : Keshar, Keshara
Kannada : Kunkuma, Kesari
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Kunkuma Puvu
Marathi : Keshar
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Kesar, Keshar
Tamil : Kungumapuvu
Telugu : Kunkuma Puvvu
Urdu : Zafran
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Yellowish style, broken or intact along with trifid stigma; stigma is dark red or reddish-brown, cornucopia shaped, with fimbriate margin, and about 25 mm long; broken style are very thin, upto about 10 mm ong; odour, strongly aromatic; taste, slightly bitter.
b) Microscopic
Stigma composed mostly of elongated, thin-walled, parenchyma cells containing colouring matter; at the upper end numerous cylindrical papillm or trichomes up to 150 microns long present; pollen grains, a few, spherical, nearly smooth, from 40 to 120 microns in dia; occasionally germinated and exhibiting pollen tubes.
Powder – Pale reddish-brown; aromatic, shows elongated, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells, unicellular trichomes, a few spherical, smooth, pollen grains measuring 40 to 120n in dia. and xylem vessels with annular and spiral thickenings.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Identification
i. When sprinked on sulphuric acid, the stigmas turn blue immediately, gradually changing to purple and finally purplish red.
ii. Stamens of safflower and florets of marigold should be absent; should be free from artificially dyed corn silk or fibres.
Organic dyes:
i. Digest about 0.1 g in 10 ml of water for 15 minutes with frequent shaking, filter and add 1 g of decolorising charcoal to the filtrate; shake and allow to stand for 10 minutes; filter; the fitrate is colourless.
ii. Macerate 10 mg in 5 ml of alcohol (95 per cent) or methanol; a distinct greenish yellow colour is imparted to the liquid; with corresponding quantities of Kunkuma in ether or chloroform the solvents remain almost colourless; so also with xylene, benzene or carbon tetrachloride. Absence of Fixed oil or glycerin: Press between clear filter paper, the paper does not display translucent oily spots.
Foreign organic matter – Not more than 2 per cent. Styles not more than 10 per cent. Loss on drying: Loses not more than 14 per cent of its weight, when dried at 100oC.
Ash: Not more than 7.5 per cent.
Acid-insoluble ash: Not more than 1 per cent.
Assay: Weigh accurately 0.1 g in moderately fine powder and macerate at room temperature in 100 ml of water for 3 hours with frequent shaking. Filter immediately, adding sufficient water through the filter to make 100 ml. Dilute 10 ml of this filtrate, accurately measured, to 100 ml with water. Immediately compare the colour of this solution in Nessler tubes or in a colorimeter, with the colour of N/100 potassium dichromate. The colour of the solution approximates that of the N /100 potassium dichromate, and the strength of the colour is not less that of an equal depth in mm of the N /100 potassium dichromate.
CONSTITUENTS – Essential Oils, Bitter Glycoside, Picrocrocin and Crocin
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Snigdha
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Vatahara, Varnya, Visaghna, Slesmahara, Rasayana, Jantuhara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Karpuradyarka, Balarka Rasa, Yakuti, Kunkumadya Taila, Mahanarayana Taila, Pusyanuga Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Chardi, Kasa, Vrana, Vyanga, Siroroga, Drsti Roga, Kantha Roga, Sidhma, Mutrasotha, Udavartta, Mutraghata, Suryavartta, Ardhava Bhedaka.
DOSE – 25-50 mg.
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