NIMBA (Flower)
Nimba consists of dried flower and flower bud of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. syn. Melia azadirachta Linn. (Fam. Meliacem), a medium to large size evergreen tree attaining a height of 15 to 20 m or more under favourable conditions and found through-hout the plains of India upto an altitude of 900 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Aristah, Picumandah, Picumaradah, Prabhadrah
Assamese : —
Bengali : Nim, Nimgaachh
English : Indian Lilac, Margosa Tree, Neem tree
Gujrati : Leemado
Hindi : Neem
Kannada : Chikkabevu, Huchchabevu, Turakbevu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Aaruveppu, Aryaveppu, Veppu
Marathi : Nimb, Kadunimb
Oriya : Neemo, Nimba
Punjabi : Nim, Nimba
Tamil : Vempu, Veppu
Telugu : Vemu, Vepa
Urdu : Neem
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Dried flowers are brown to deep brown; individual flower 5 to 6 mm long and 6 to 11 mm wide, pentamerous, bisexual, regular and hypogynous; calyx 5, short, united at base; corolla 5, free, spathulate, spreading, 4.5 to 5.5 mm long 2 mm wide; stamens 10, monoadelphous, staminal tube inserted at base of corolla; gynoecium tricarpellary, syncarpous, superior, trilocular, two ovules in each locule, style 1, stigma 3-lobed; taste, mildly bitter: odour, indistinct.
b) Microscopic
Calyx – Sepal shows thin walled polygonal papillose epidermis; elongated thin walled unicellular conical trichomes of varying lengths; rosette crystals in cells of epidermis.
Petals – Petal shows epidermis of rectangular cells papillose at margins, non-glandular unicellular trichomes, over 150 n long, tubular and hyaline; glandular trichomes of about 20 n, numerous rosette crystals in epidermal cells.
Androecium – Epidermis of staminal tube composed of thick walled rectangular parenchymatous cells and the endothecium of the anther walls.
Gynoecium – Stigma sticky, parenchymatous epidermal cells, elongated into extensive papillm, style thin walled, rectangular, ovary superior, trilocular.
Pollen Grain – Porous, 4-colporate, spherical 105 to161n in dia., with a smooth exine.
Powder – Yellowish-brown, fragments of parenchymatous papillose epidermal cells, trichomes, numerous vessels, rosette calcium oxalate crystals, and yellowish-brown pollen grains.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 14 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 12 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on precoated silica gel ‘G’ plate (0.2 mm thick) using chloroform : acetone (20:1) shows spots at Rf 0.12 (violet), 0.17 (light pink), 0.33 (violet), 0.51 (purple), 0.64 (dark purple), 0.80 (light purple), 0.85 (light purple), 0.92 (purple) on spraying with 1% Vanillin-Sulphuric acid reagent followed by heating the plate at 105oC for about ten minutes.
CONSTITUENTS – 15-Acetoxy-7-deacetoxydihydroazadirone (neeflone),nonacosane (saturated hydrocarbon)
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Caksusya, Krmighna, Kaphahara, Pittahara, Vatakara, Visaghna, Kusthaghna, Grahi.
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Kusthakalamla Rasa, Kustha Sailendra Rasa, Krmivinasana Rasa
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sotha, Aruci, Chardi, Daha, Hrllasa, Jvara, Kasa, Krmi, Kandu, Kustha, Netraroga, Phiranga, Prameha, Raktavikara, Trsna, Visamajvara, Vrana, Kaphapittaja Vikara, Srama, Hrdayavidaha
DOSE – 2 – 4 g puspa curna.
10 – 20 ml puspa svarasa.
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