PRAPUNNADA (Seed)
Prapunnada consists of dried seed of Cassia tora Linn. (Fam. Fabacem); a herbaceous annual occurring as a weed throughout the country in plains, ascending 1500 m in the Central Himalayas.
SYNONYMS
Sansk. : Edagaja, Dadrughna
Assam. : Kulb
Beng. : Chavuka, Chakunda, Panevar
Eng. : Ring Worm Plant, Fetid Cassia
Guj. : Kovaraya
Hindi. : Pavand
Kan. : Tagache
Kash. : —
Mal. : Tagaraa
Mar. : Tankala
Ori. : —
Punj. : Panwal, Chakunda, Chakwad
Tam. : Vshittgarai
Tel. : Tagiris
Urdu. : Panwar
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Seed hard, 1 cm long, 3-4 mm thick, oblong or rhombohedral, both ends appear as if cut off obliquely, greenish-brown to brownish-black, smooth and shiny; odourless; taste, bitter.
b) Microscopic
Seed shows seed coat consisting of longitudinally elongated cells, covered with thick, smooth cuticle, followed by palisade layer composed of closely packed, radially arranged, non-lignified, thickened columnar cells, and by a single layer of dumb-bell shaped, thick-walled, parenchymatous cells; a wide zone of thick-walled, parenchymatous cells forming inner layer of testa present, differentiated into outer 8 – 10 layers of tangentially elongated, parenchymatous cells and a single layer of broad cells which are squarish in shape; a few vascular bundles scattered in this zone; embryo consists of radicle, plumule and two cotyledons; epidermis of cotyledon consists of a single layer, externally covered with cuticle, followed by two layers of palisade-like cells of mesophyll; mesophyll of ventral side composed of rectangular to polygonal cells filled with round to oval starch grain, measuring 8-12 n in dia., a few vascular bundles and a few rosette crystals of calciuhrolllalate upto 49 n in dia.; scattered in this region.
Powder – Light brown; shows fragments of testa, parenchymatous cells, very small, numerom: simple, round to oval, starch grains measuring 8-12 n in dia., and a few rosette crystals of calcium oxalate upto 49 n in diameter.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 Per cent, Appendix 2.2.2
Total ash Not more than 5 Per cent, Appendix 2.2.3
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 0.2 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 14 Per cent, Appendix 2.2.7
T.L.C. –
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using n-Butanol : Acetic acid: Water (4:1:5) shows in visible light three spots at Rf 0.33, 0.47 and 0.57 (all light yellow). Under UV (366 nm) three fluorescent zones are visible at Rf. 0.33 (blue), 0.47 (light pink) and 0.57 (blue). On exposure to Iodine vapour seven spots appear at Rf. 0.27, 0.33, 0.47,0.57, 0,62, 0.71 and 0.82 (all yellow).
CONSTITUENTS – Anthraquinones, Fixed OiL
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu
Guna : Laghu, Ruksa
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Recana, Kaphavatasamaka Krmighna, Lekhana, Kusthaghnama Visaghana Tvaka, Varnaprasadakaram, Tvacya.
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Nimbadi Curna, Kasisadi Ghrta, Maha Visagarbha Taila, Brhanmariyadi Taila.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Kaphavatajanya Vikara, Kustha, Vrana Vikara, Dadru, Paksaghata, Vibhandha, Gulma, Krmi, Pama, Kandu, Svasa, Kasa.
DOSE – 1-3 g. of powder,
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