PARPATA (Whole Plant)
Parpata consists of dried whole plant of Fumaria parviflora Lam. (Fam. Fumaracem), a pale green, branched, annual, diffuse herb, about 60 em high, distributed as a weed of cultivated fields over the greater parts of the country, and also commonly growing on road sides during cold season.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Varatika, Suksmapatra
Assamese : Shahtaraj
Bengali : Vanshulpha, Bansulpha
English : —
Gujrati : Pittapapada, Pitpapado, Pittapapado
Hindi : Pittapapada, Dhamgajra, Pittapapara
Kannada : Kallu Sabbasige, Parpatu, Chaturasigide
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : —
Marathi : Pittapapada, Shatara, Parpat
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Shahtara, Pittapapara
Tamil : Tura, Tusa
Telugu : Parpatakamu
Urdu : Parpata
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – Buff or cream coloured, branched, about 3 mm thick, cylindrical; taste, bitter.
Stem – Light green, smooth, diffused, hollow, about 2 to 4 mm thick; taste, bitter and slightly acrid.
Leaf – Compound, pinnatifid, 5 to 7 cm long, divided into narrow segments; segments 5 mm long and about 1 mm broad, linear or oblong, more or less glaucous, acute or subacute; petiole, very thin, 2.5 to 4.0 cm long; taste, bitter.
Flower – Racemes with 10 to 15 flowers, peduncle upto 3 mm, pedicels about 2 mm, flowers about 7 mm long, bract much longer than the pedicels; sepals 2, white, minute, about 0.5 mm long, triangular ovate, acuminate; corolla in 2 whorls with very small 4 petals, each about 4 mm long; inner petals with a purple or green tip; outer petals with narrow spur, without purple spots stamens 3+3 , staminal sheath subulate above, about 4 mm long, stigma 2 lipped.
Fruit – Capsule, 2 mm long and slightly broader, subrotund, obovate, obtuse or subtruncate, obscurely apiculate, rugose when dry; nutlets globose, upto 2 mm long, single seeded.
b) Microscopic
Root – Root shows single layered epidermis, followed by 5 or 6 layers of cortex consisting of thin-walled, rectangular, parenchymatous cells, outer I or 2 layers irregular and brown in colour; endodermis not distinct; secondary phloem very narrow and consisting of 2 or 3 rows with usual elements; central core shows a wide zone of xylem and consists of usual elements; vessels mostly solitary having reticulate and spiral thickening, medullary ray less developed and mostly uniseriate; fibres moderately long, thick-walled, having narrow lumen and blunt tips.
Stem – Stem shows a pentagonal outline, having prominent angles composed of collenchymatous cells; epidermis single layered of thin-walled, oblong, rectangular cells, covered with thin cuticle; cortex narrow, composed of 2 to 4 layers of chlorenchymatous cells endodermis not distinct; vascular bundles collateral, 5 or 6 arranged in a ring; each vascular bundle capped by a group of sclerenchymatous cells; phloem consists of usual elements; xylem consists of vessels, tracheids, fibres and xylem parenchyma; vessels much elongated, having reticulate, annular or spiral thickening or simple pits; xylem fibres narrow elongated with pointed ends having a few simple pits; centre either hollow or occupied by narrow pith consisting of thinwalled, parenchymatous cells.
Leaf
Petiole – V -shaped outline; single layer epidermis consisting of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells followed by ground tissue composed of thick-walled round, oval or polygonal, parenchymatous cells, outer cells smaller than inner; collenchymatous cells present at corners; three vascular bundle scattered in ground tissue, one central and two in wings; vascular bundle consists of phloem and xylem, phloem capped with fibrous sheath, lower epidermis single layered.
Lamina – Shows single layer epidermis’ on either side, consistmg of thin-walled, rectangular, oval-shaped, parenchymatous cells; mesophyll composed of oval to polygonal thin-walled parenchymatous cells, filled with green pigment and not differentiated into palisade and spongy parenchyma; vascular bundles scattered throughout the mesophyll; stomata anomocytic, present on both surfaces.
Powder – Light greenish-brown; shows fragments of parenchyma; tracheids, fibres, and vessels having simple pits and spiral thickenings; anomocytic stomata and wavy walled epidermal cells in surface view.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 30 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 10 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 7 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 29 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Chloroform : Methanol (8:2) shows under visible light one spot at Rf. 0.93 (green). Under U.V. (366 nm) eight fluorescent zones are visible at Rf. 0.07 (blue), 0.13 (blue), 0.29 (light blue), 0.50 (light pink), 0.60 (light yellow), 0.67 (yellow), 0.79 (blue) and 0.93 pink). On exposure to Iodine vapour twelve spots appear at Rf. 0.07, 0.10, 0.13, 0.19, 0.29, 0.50, 0.60,0.67,0.74,0.79,0.86 and 0.93 (all yellow). On spraying with Dragendorff reagent followed by 5% Methanolic-Sulphuric acid reagent one spot appears at Rf. 0.07 (orange).
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloids, Tannins, Sugars and salt of Potassium
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphahara, Pittahara, Samgrahi, Raktadosahara, Rocaka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Pacanamrta Kvatha Curna, Tiktaka Ghrta, Mahatiktaka Ghrta, Nalpamaradi Taila, Bhrihatmanjisadi Kvatha Curna, Patoladi Ghrta, Parpatadi Kvatha, Sadangapaniya, Brhata Garbha, Cintamani Rasa
THERAPEUTIC USES – Bhrama, Chardi, Daha, Jvara, Raktapitta, Raktavikara, Trsa, Mada, Glani
DOSE – 1-3 gm.
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