TUNI (Stem Bark)
Tuni consists of stem bark of Cedrela toona Roxb. (Fam. Meliacem), a large, rapidly growing, nearly evergreen tree attaining a height upto 18 m, and distributed in tropical Himalayas from the Indus eastward, ascending to 1000 m and also throughout the hills of Central and Southern India.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Nandivrksa, Tuni, Tuna, Nandi
Assamese : —
Bengali : Toongaachha
English : Toon, Red ceder
Gujrati : Toonee
Hindi : Tun, Toonee, Tuni
Kannada : Mandurike, Kempu Gandagheri
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Madagirivempu, Ikana, Patukarana
Marathi : Toonee, Kurak
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Karamusuli, Shevagil Malavembu
Telugu : Nandichettu, Galimanu
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Bark available in long pieces, channelled, of varying thickness; external surface, rough and rugged due to exfoliation and vertical cracks, fissured, dark grey having lenticels, inner surface, red, laminated and fibrous; fracture, fibrous and splintery; odour, very mild and pleasant; taste, sharp and acrid.
b) Microscopic
Stem bark shows exfoliating cork, 8 to 10 layers consisting of tangentially elongated, radially arranged, thin-walled cells; cortex, 12 to 15 layers of rectangular parenchymatous cells, outer layers having cells filled with small rosette crystals of calcium oxalate at regular intervals; inner layers of cortex of isodiametric cells having abundant larger rosette crystals; occasionally stone cells may be present in outer cortex; phloem fibres abundant in patches, thick walled; medullary rays narrow, generally biseriate; starch grains, simple or compound, present in cortical region.
Powder – Light reddish-brown; shows occasional fragments of cork cells; fibres, large, abundant in groups, a few isolated, lignified with distinct lumen, tips bluntly pointed or having distinct indentation; stone cells, few, of varying shapes, elongated to isodiametric; phloem parenchyma, thin-walled, containing calcium oxalate rosettes and prisms; abundant prismatic and rosette calcium oxalate crystals, rosettes of varying sizes measuring 11 to 60 n, prisms, small; starch grains, simple or compound having 2 to 6 components, 3-component grains most common, round and oval measuring upto 10 n in dia., cleft hilum.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 14 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 12 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 9 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on precoated silica gel ‘G’ plate (0.2 mm thick) using petroleum ether : hexane : ethyl acetate : formic acid (10:30:15:1) shows spots at Rf. 0.34, 0.44, 0.57 and 0.88 (all purple) on spraying with vanillin-sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate at 105oC for about ten minutes.
CONSTITUENTS – Triterpenoids.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Grahi, Kaphahara, Medohara, Pittahara, Bhagnasandhanaka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Nyagrodhadi Kvatha Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Daha, Gandamala, Kandu, Kustha, Prameha, Raktapitta, Raktavikara, Visavikara, Vrana, Yoniroga, Bala Pravahika, Svetakustha, Medovikara
DOSE – 3-6 g kvatha-10-20 ml.
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