RUDRAKSA (Seed)
Rudraksa consists of seeds of Elmocarpus sphmricus Gmrtn. K. Schum (Fam. Elmocarpacem), a medium sized, ornamental tree, found in the lower Himalayas and in the Western ghats at higher elevation.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Chattu Sampangi
Assamese : —
Bengali : Rudrakya
English : —
Gujrati : Rudraksh, Rudraksha
Hindi : Rudraki
Kannada : Rudrakshi mara, Rudraksh
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Rudraksha
Marathi : Rudraksha
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Rudraksha
Tamil : Rudraksha
Telugu : Rudraksha
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Seed stony, very hard, spherical, obovoid or oval, variable in size, about 1 or 2 cm in dia.; longitudinally grooved, tubercled, brown, divided into five segments.
b) Microscopic
Seed coat consists of multilayered, oval to polygonal stone cells and internally followed by 8 to 10 layers of tangentially elongated, oval-shaped, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells, filled with reddish-brown contents, excepting the middle 2 or 3 layers; endosperm consists of oval to polygonal, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells; rosette crystals of calcium oxalate and oil globules present in this region; embryo slightly curved and consists of oval to polygonal, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells, a few having oil globules.
Powder – Reddish-brown; shows polygonal lignified with narrow lumened stone cells, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells with reddish-brown contents, rosette crystals of calcium oxalate and oil globules.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Nil Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 1.2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 0.4 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ using n-Butanol : Acetic acid : Water (4:1 :5) under U.V. (366 nm) shows one fluorescent zone at Rf. 0.91 (violet). On exposure to Iodine vapour three spots appear at Rf. 0.19, 0.31 and 0.52 (all yellow). On spraying with 5% Methnaolic-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate at 105oC for ten minutes a single spot appears at Rf. 0.91(grey).
CONSTITUENTS – Fixed Oil and Fatty Acids.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Snigdha, Sthula
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : —
Karma : Medhya, Raksoghna, Arogyaprada, Hrdyam (Saumanasya Karah)
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Gorocanadi Vati, Cukkumtippalyadi Gutika, Dhanvantara Gutika, Svaramukadi Gutika, Mrtasanjivani Gutika
THERAPEUTIC USES – Matisudhikara, Uccharaktacapa, Prgyaparadha, Hrdyaroga, Romantika, Manasaroga, Anidra
DOSE – 1-2 gm internally.
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