PUSKARA (Root)
Puskara consists of dried root of Inula racemosa Hook. f. (Fam. Asteracem), a stout herb, 0.5 to 1.5 m high, mostly found in Western Himalayas upto 2600 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Kasmira, Pouskara
Assamese : Pohakarmul, Puskar
Bengali : Pushkara, Pushkaramula
English : Orris Root
Gujrati : Pushkarmula
Hindi : Pohakar Mul
Kannada : Pushkara Moola
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Puskara
Marathi : Pokhar Mool
Oriya : Puskara
Punjabi : Pokhar Mool
Tamil : Pushkarmulam
Telugu : Pushkara Mulamu
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root available in cut pieces, upto about 15 cm long and 0.5 to 2.0 cm in dia.; cylindrical, straight or somewhat curved; surface rough due to longitudinal striations and cracks, scars of lateral rootlets and rhytidoma present, externally brownish-grey and internally yellowish-brown; fracture, short and smooth; odour, camphoraceous and aromatic; taste, bitter and camphoraceous.
b) Microscopic
Mature root shows a wavy outline due to development of rhytidoma; cork composed of 8 to 12 layers of thick-walled, tangentially elongated, rectangular cells, some filled with reddish-brown contents; secondary cortex 1 or 2 layers or absent; secondary phloem consists of sieve elements and parenchyma having secretory cavities and traversed by medullary rays; cambium not distinct; wood occupies bulk of root consisting of vessels, tracheids, fibres, parenchyma, secretory cavities and medullary rays; vessel have reticulate thickenings, a few fibres occur in small patches adjacent to vessels and abundant in xylem parenchyma, thin-walled; a few small tracheids; parenchyma in general contain granular, slightly yellowish or colourless inulin granules and also a few yellowish oil globules; starch grains either absent or very rarely seen in cortical and ray cells; yellowish resinous masses present in secretory canals.
Powder – Reddish-brown; under microscope shows fragments of cork cells, vessels, fibres and parenchyma cells containing tannin and inulin.
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 0.6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 10 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 20 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Benzene: Ethylacetate (9:1) shows on exposure to Iodine vapour nine spots at Rf. 0.23, 0.28, 0.34, 0.39, 0.48, 0.51, 0.64, 0.73 and 0.94 (all yellow). On spraying with Vanillin-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for about ten minutes at 105o C eight spots appear at Rf. 0.11, 0.28, 0.34, 0.39, 0.48, 0.64, 0.73 and 0.94 (all violet).
CONSTITUENTS – Essential oil
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphavatajit
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Kankayana Gutika, Kumaryasava, Mahanarayana Taila, Manasamitravaaka, Dasamularista, Lodrasava, Rasnadi Kvatha Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Aruci, Adhmana, Hikka, Jvara, Kasa, Svasa, Parsvasula, Sopha, Ardita, Pandu
DOSE – 1-3 gm of the drug in powder form.
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