PALASAH (Seed)
Palasah consists of seed of Butea monosperma (Lam.) Kuntze, syn. B. frondosa Roxb. (Fam. Fabacem), a moderate sized deciduous tree, commonly called ”Flame of the Forest”, found throughout India upto a height of 1250 m, except in the arid zones.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Palasah, Kimsukah, Raktapuspakah, Vatapotha
Assamese : —
Bengali : Palaash
English : Butea seed, Flame of the Forest, Bastard teak
Gujrati : Khakharo
Hindi : Dhak, Palash, Tesoo
Kannada : Muttagamara, Muttug
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Plashu
Marathi : Palas, Palash paapada
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Purasu
Telugu : Moduga
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Seeds reddish-brown, thin, flat, reniform, longer axis from 3 to 4 cm and shorter from 2 to 2.5 cm, raphe equal to antiraphe, micropyle inconspicuous; seed coat reddish brown, waxy; faint odour; taste, slightly acrid bitter; weight of 100 seeds 80 to115 g.
b) Microscopic
Single layered epidermis of testa interrupted by balloon shaped cells; malphighian cells palisade like, thick-walled, red, unlignified, lumen large but not uniform; discontinuous transparent Linea lucida in upper half of Malphighian layer; osteosclereids irregular, nonlignified, highly thick walled, columnar, compressed and superposed; mesophyll occupies major portion of testa, upper and lower mesophyll cells small, isodiametric to elliptic, middle layers large, angular, condensed with small intercellular spaces; inner epidermis reddish brown, distinct with small thick walled elongated cells externally covered by thin culticle. The transection of cotyledon shows single layered, thick-walled epidermis having angular cells, followed by beaded parenchymatous cells containing starch and protein in form of spiral, as revealed by freshly prepared Millons Reagent; starch grains, rod shaped or ovoid, simple, 20 to 40 nm, hilum indistinct, lamellm distinct. Embryo is straight having a radicle with well-marked hypocotyl, epicotyl with a plumule and a pair of thick cotyledons.
Powder – Powder yellowish-brown; acrid and bitter with oily flavour and pleasant smell; small fragments of testa, broken and intact malphighian cells, osteosclereids, mesophyll cells isolated or in groups, cotyledonary parenchyma containing a few starch grains, abundant spiral protein bodies, mucilage and oil globules; when treated with 50% H2SO4, emits yellow fluorescence under UV-254 nm.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 8 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 20 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 25 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
Protein Not less than 18 per cent, Appendix 2.2.17
Fatty oil Not less than 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.15
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the methanolic extract on precoated silica gel ‘G’ plate (0.2 mm thick) using toluene : ethylacetate : methanol (85 : 15 : 0.5) as solvent system shows after spraying with anisaldehyde-sulphuric acid and heating the plate for ten minutes at 120oC, at Rf. 0.26 (magenta), 0.38 (greying green) and 0.56 (greyish green).
CONSTITUENTS – Fatty oil; amino acids.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Laghu, Sara, Snigdha
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Dipana, Rasayana, Tridosahara, Vrsya, Bhedana, Bhagnasandhanakara, Garbhanirodhaka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Ayaskrti, Krmimudgara Rasa
THERAPEUTIC USES – Asmari, Sula, Arsa, Atisara, Daha, Dadru, Gulma, Kasa, Krmi, Kandu, Kustha, Mutrakrcchra, Medoroga, Pama, Prameha, Raktavikara, Tvakroga, Udararoga, Vatarakta, Vrana, Yonidosa, Gudajaroga, Sukradosa, Pliharoga, Netrasukra, Pandu, Vrscikavisa
DOSE – 0.5 to 1 g.
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