PLAKSA (Fruit)
Plaksa consists of dried fruit of Ficus lacor Buch. -Ham. Syn. F. lucescens Blume., F. infectoria Roxb. (Fam. Moracem), a large spreading tree, with a few occasional mrial roots, found nearly throughout the country and commonly planted as an avenue and ornamental tree
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Jati
Assamese : Pakar
Bengali : Pakar
English : —
Gujrati : Peep, Pakadee
Hindi : Pakhar, Pilkhin
Kannada : Karibasari, Kadubasari, Jeevibsari Basa
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Itthy, Kallal
Marathi : Pimpari, Paicta
Oriya : Pakali, Pakal
Punjabi : Pilkhan
Tamil : Kallal, Itthi
Telugu : Juvvi, Erra-Juvvi
Urdu : Pakhar
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Fruit a syconus, 0.5 to 1.0 cm in dia., attached with pedicel; sub-globose, wrinkled, glabrous, having three basal bracts; greyish-brown to yellowish-brown; taste, astringent.
b) Microscopic
Fruit shows single layered, thin-walled epidermis followed by a narrow zone of 2 to 5 layers, of round, oval, rectangular, lignified stone cells with wide lumen; rest of mesocarp very wide consisting of oval to polygonal, collenchymatous cells containing brownish contents; a few vascular traces found scattered in this zone; inner zone consisting of stone cells similar in shape and size to those found scattered in outer zone; male and female flower attached to inner layer of mesocarp.
Powder -Dark greyish-brown; shows fragments of epidermal cells; single, or groups of lignified stone cells; collenchymatous cells; a few debris of male and female flowers present.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 9 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 5 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 15 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of alcoholic extract on Silica Gel ‘G’ using n-Butanol : Acetic Acid : Water (4: 1 :5) shows in visible light three spots at Rf. 0.27, 0.63 (both grey) and 0.97 (yellowish green). Under U.V. (366 nm) six fluorescent zones are visible at Rf. 0.53, 0.63, 0.84, 0.91, 0.94 (all blue) and 0.97 (pink). On exposure to Iodine vapour twelve spots appear at Rf. 0.12, 0.16, 0.22, 0.27, 0.38, 0.50, 0.63, 0.73, 0.84, 0.91, 0.94 and 0.97 (all yellow). On spraying with Ninhydrin reagent a single spot appears at Rf. 0.97 (brick red).
CONSTITUENTS – Amino Acids.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Kasaya
Guna : Sita
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphahara, Pittahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – (No Formulations)
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sotha, Srama, Bhrama, Daha, Murccha, Raktapitta, Pralapa
DOSE – 5-10 gm.
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