PLAKSA (Stem Bark)
Plaksa consists of dried stem bark of Ficus lacor Buch. – Ham. = F. lucescens Blume., Syn. F. infectoria Roxb. (Fam. Moracem); a large spreading tree, with occasional mrial roots, found nearly throughout the country and commonly planted as an avenue and ornamental tree.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Parkari, Parkati, Jati
Assamese : —
Bengali : Pakur
English : —
Gujrati : Paras pipalo, Pepli
Hindi : Pakad
Kannada : Karibasari, Kadubasari, Jeevibasari, Basari, Juvvebasari
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Itti, Ittiyadi, Itthy
Marathi : —
Oriya : Pakali, Pakal
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Icchi, Itthi, Kallalnaram
Telugu : —
Urdu : Pakhad
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Bark rough, occurring in flat to curved, quilled pieces, measuring 0.4-0.7 cm in thickness; external surface ash or whitish-grey; numerous transversely arranged lenticels; ranging from 0.1 cm – 1.3 cm in length, lip-shaped and exfoliating; internal surface rough, fibrous, longitudinally striated, reddish-brown; fracture, fibrous.
b) Microscopic
Shows 5-8 layered cork consisting of thin-walled, rectangular cells, a few external layers exfoliating; secondary cortex very wide consisting of compactly arranged, rectangular, thick-walled, pitted cells, patches of circular to elongated, lignified, elliptical stone cells with radiating canals, a few with concentric striations; a few prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate and reddish-brown contents found scattered throughout the secondary cortex; secondary phloem very wide consisting of mostly stratified layers of collapsed cells forming ceratenchyma, groups of fibres, phloem parenchyma, laticiferous cells, traversed by 2-5 seriate phloem rays; phloem fibres lignified with wide lumen and pointed tips; thin-walled, rectangular, a few phloem parenchyma containing prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate.
Powder – Reddish-brown; shows thick-walled parenchyma with simple pits; stone cells in groups and singles, prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate, elongated phloem fibres with wide lumen and pointed tips.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 10 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 1.5 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 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Sterols, Sugar, Tannin, Alkaloid and Saponin
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Kasaya
Guna : Ruksa
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Sramahara, Kaphahara, Medohara, Pittahara, Stambhana, Dahahara, Sangrahi, Bhagnasadhaka, Yonidosahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Nyagrodhadi Kvatha Curna, Nalpamaradi Taila, Marma Gutika
THERAPEUTIC USES – Sotha, Raktapitta, Visarpa, Vrana, Yoniroga, Murca, Atisara.
DOSE – 50 g. of the drug in powder form for decoction.
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