METHI (Seed)
Methi consists of seeds of Trigonella foenum-grmcum Linn. (Fam. Fabacem); an aromatic, 30-60 cm tall, annual herb, cultivated throughout the country.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Methini
Assamese : —
Bengali : —
English : Fenugreek
Gujrati : Methi
Hindi : Methi
Kannada : Menthe, Mente
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Uluva
Marathi : Methi
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Methi
Tamil : Mendium, Ventaiyam
Telugu : Mentulu
Urdu : Methi
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Seed oblong, rhomboidal with deep furrow running obliquely from one side, dividing seed into a larger and smaller part, 0.2-0.5 cm long, 0.15-0.35 cm broad, smooth, very hard; dull yellow; seed becomes mucilaginous when soaked in water; odour, pleasant; taste, bitter.
b) Microscopic
Seed – Seed shows a layer of thick- walled, columnar palisade, covered externally with thick cuticle; cells flat at base, mostly pointed but a few flattened at apex, supported internally by a tangentially wide bearer cells having radial rib-like thickenings; followed by 4-5 layers of tangentially elongated, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells; endosperm consists of a layer of thick-walled cells containing aleurone grains, several layers of thin walled, mucilaginous cells, varying in size, long axis radially elongated in outer region and tangentially elongated in inner region; cotyledons consists of 3-4 layers of palisade cells varying in size with long axis and a few layers of rudimentary spongy tissue; rudimentary vascular tissue situated in spongy mesophyll; cells of cotyledon contain aleurone grains and oil globules.
Powder – Yellow; shows groups of palisade parenchymatous cells, aleurone grains, oil globules, endosperm and epidermal cells of testa.
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 0.5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloid, Sapogenins and Mucilage.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta
Guna : Snigdha
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Dipana, Kaphahara, Rucya, Vatahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Mustakarista, Mrtasanjivani Sura.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Grahani, Jvara, Prameha, Aruci
DOSE – 3-6 g. of the drug in powder form.
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