KUSTHA
Kustha consists of dried roots of Saussurea lappa C.B. Clarke (Fam. Compositm), a tall, robust, perennial herb with thick roots, found in Kashmir at an altitude of 2500-3600 m, roots collected in September-October.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Amaya, Pakala
Assamese : Kud, Kur
Bengali : Kudo
English : —
Gujrati : —
Hindi : Kutha
Kannada : Changal Kustha
Kashmiri : Kuth
Malayalam : Kottam
Marathi : Upleta, Kustha
Oriya : Kudha
Punjabi : Kuth
Tamil : Goshtam, Kosbtham, Kottam
Telugu : Changalva Koshtu
Urdu : Qust
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Drug greyish to dull brown, thick, stout, fusiform to cylindrical, 7-15 cm long, 1.0-5.5 cm broad, thicker roots with collapsed centre, occasionally ridged, wrinkles longitudinal and anastomosed, rootlets rarely present, cut surface shows two regions, outer periderm ring thin, inner porous woody portion lighter in colour showing fine radial striations and often the central portion collapsed, fracture, short, horny, odour, strong, characteristically aromatic, taste, slightly bitter.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of thin root shows thin periderm, followed by broad zone of phloem and still broader zone of xylem traversed by wide medullary rays, cork, 3-5 layered wide secondary cortical cells polygonal, mostly elongated, secondary phloem consists of mostly storage parenchyma, small groups of sieve tubes and companion cells and often phloem fibres, bast fibres thick-walled, lignified, upto 350 n in length, with many simple pits associated with fibre, tracheids and parenchyma, wood fibres smaller than bast fibres, with wider lumen and obtusely tapering ends, meduallary rays multi seriate and wider in phloem region, resin canals found throughout as large cavities, some roots possess a central cylinder of sclerenchyma, while others have parenchymatous centre with scattered xylem elements, in older roots, wood parenchyma collapses and takes a spongy appearance in the centre of root, inulin present in storage parenchyma. Powder-Deep brown or rusty, under microscope irregular bits of yellow, brown or orange-red fragments of resins and oils associated with thin-walled parenchymatous cells, broken bits of xylem vessels with scalariform, reticulate thickening and horizontal end walls.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 4 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 12 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 20 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Essential oil, alkaloid (saussurine) and bitter resin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphavatajit, Raktasodhaka, Varnya, Sukrala
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Kttoamacukkadi Taila.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Svasa, Kasa, Kustha, Vatarakta, Visarpa
DOSE – 0.2-1.0 of the drug in powder form.
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