NIMBA (Root Bark)
Nimba consists of dried root bark of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. syn. Melia azadirachta Linn. (Fam. Meliacem), a medium to large evergreen tree attaining a height of 15 to 20 m or more under favourable conditions and found throughout the plains of India upto an altitude of 900 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Picumaradah, Aristah, Picumandah, Prabhadrah
Assamese : —
Bengali : Nim, Nimgaachh
English : Margosa Tree, Neem Tree, Indian Lilac
Gujrati : Leemado
Hindi : Neem
Kannada : Turakbevu, Huchchabevu, Chikkabevu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Veppu, Aryaveppu, Aaruveppu
Marathi : Kadunimba, Nimb
Oriya : Neemo, Nimba
Punjabi : Nimb, Nim
Tamil : Vempu, Veppu
Telugu : Vemu, Vepa
Urdu : Neem
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root bark available in quilled or curved pieces of varying sizes with a thickness of 0.25 to 0.50 cm; outer surface irregular, rough, scaly, fissured, reddish-brown or greyish- brown; inner surface, yellowish-brown with parallel striations; fracture, splintery and fibrous; odour like that of saw dust; taste, bitter.
b) Microscopic
Root bark shows cork, cortex and phloem; cork generally 6 or 7 layers of polygonal and thin walled cells with reddish-brown contents; outer cortex of tangentially elongated large rectangular cells with tangentially elongated sclereids, singly or in groups in isolated patches; sclereids vary in size and wall thickness, distinctly striated, pitted and often associated with cells containing crystal; inner cortex of polygonal parenchymatous cells with bundles of sclerenchymatous fibres, thick walled with irregular lumen; secondary phloem composed of alternating tangential bands of bast fibres and parenchymatous tissues intercepted by uni to biseriate phloem rays; abundant starch grains present in parenchymatous cells of cortex and phloem; starch grains simple, or more usually, compound with 2 or 3 components, hilum cleft or radiate, individual grain 5 to 20 n; abundant prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate in cortex, of 10 to 15 n, also associated with phloem fibres; idioblasts with reddish-brown contents seen in cortex; cells with fat droplets seen in inner cortex and phloem.
Powder – Reddish-brown; shows cork cells; numerous prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate both isolated, and in association with phloem fibres; individual fibres with narrow lumen and elongated tapering ends; pitted macrosclereids with wide lumen and distinct striations; simple, and compound starch grains with 2 or 3 components, of 5 to 20 n in size; parenchymatous cells large and occasionally filled with brown contents.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 7 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 15 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 3 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on precoated silica gel ‘G’ plate (0.2 mm thick) using hexane : ethyl acetate (1:1) shows spots at Rf 0.08, 0.12, 0.19 (all violet), 0.25 (mustard yellow), 0.33, 0.39, 0.46 (all light violet) and 0.82 (purple) on spraying with 1% Vanillin-Sulphuric acid reagent followed by heating the plate at 105oC for about ten minutes.
CONSTITUENTS – Tetranortriterpenoids, margocin, nimbidiol, nimbolicin, azadirinin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kandughna, Sitagrahi, Ahrdya, Kaphahara, Pittahara, Rucya Dipana, Visaghna, Vransodhana
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Amrtastaka, Astangadasanga Lanha
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sotha, Aruci, Svasa, Chardi, Daha, Dusta Vrana, Grahani, Jvara, Kasa, Krmiroga, Kaphavikara, Kustha, Prameha, Raktapitta, Trsa, Hrllasa, Yakrtvikara, Hrdayavidaha, Vamana
DOSE – 3 – 6 g.
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