NIMBA (Leaf)
Nimba (Leaf) consists of dried leaf of Azadirachta indica A. Juss Syn. Melia azadirachta Linn. (Fam. Meliacem); a moderate sized to fairly large evergreen tree, attaining a height of 12-15 m with stout trunk and spreading branches, occurring throughout the country up to an elevation of 900 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Arista, Picumarda
Assamese : Mahanim
Bengali : Nim, Nimgach
English : Margosa Tree
Gujrati : Limba, Limbado, Limado, Kohumba
Hindi : Nim, Nimba
Kannada : Nimba, Bevu, Oilevevu, Kahibevu, Bevinama
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Veppu, Aryaveppu, Nimbam, Veppa
Marathi : Balantanimba, Limba, Bakayan, Nim, Kadunimb
Oriya : Nimba
Punjabi : Nimba, Bakan, Nim
Tamil : Vemmu, Veppu, Arulundi, Veppan
Telugu : Vemu, Vepa
Urdu : Neem
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Leaves – Compound, alternate, rachis 15-25 cm long, 0.1 cm thick; leaflets with oblique base, opposite, exstipulate, lanceolate, acute, serrate, 7-8.5 cm long and 1.0-1.7 cm wide, slightly yellowish-green; odour, indistinct; taste, bitter
b) Microscopic
Leaf–
Midrib -leaflet through midrib shows a biconvex outline; epidermis on either side covered externally with thick cuticle; below epidermis 4-5 layered collenchyma present; stele composed of one crescent-shaped vascular bundle towards lower and two to three smaller bundle towards upper surface; rest of tissues composed of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells having secretory cells and rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; phloem surrounded by non-lignified fibre strand; crystals also present in phloem region.
Lamina – shows dorsiventral structure; epidermis on either surface, composed of thin walled, tangentially elongated cells, covered externally with thick cuticle; anomocytic stomata present on lower surface only; palisade single layered; spongy parenchyma composed of 5-6 layered, thin-walled cells, traversed by a number of veins; rosette crystals of calcium oxalate present in a few cells; palisade ratio 3.0-4.5; stomatal index 13.0-14.5 on lower surface and 8.0-11.5 on upper surface.
Powder – Green; shows vessels, fibres, rosette crystals of calcium oxalate, fragments of spongy and palisade parenchyma.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 10 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 13 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 19 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Triterpenoids and Sterols.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta
Guna : Ruksa
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Grahi, Vatala, Pittanasaka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Kasisadi Ghrta, Jatyadi Ghrta, Arogyavardhini Gutika, Nimbapatradiupanaha, Pancaguna Taila
THERAPEUTIC USES – Jvara, Krmiroga, Kustha, Netraroga, Prameha, Vrana, Amasotha, Visarogas
DOSE – 1-3 g. of the drug in powder form.
10-20 ml of the drug for decoction.
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