VARAHI (Rhizome)
Varahi consists of dried cut pieces of rhizome of Dioscorea bulbifera Linn. (Fam. Dioscoreacem), a large unarmed climber found throughout India ascending upto 1800 m in the Himalayas.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Varahikanda
Assamese : —
Bengali : Ratalu
English : —
Gujrati : Dukkarkanda
Hindi : Varahi Kanda, Genthi
Kannada : Kunta Genusu, Heggenusu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Varahi
Marathi : Dukarkanda
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : —
Telugu : Kaya Pendazam
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Drug occurs in cut pieces, 0.5 to 0.7 cm thick, 2 to 3 cm in dia.; a few root and root scars present; outer surface dark brown, inner yellow to light brown; odour, indistinct; taste, bitter.
b) Microscopic
Rhizome shows a cork composed of 10 to 15 layers of thick-walled, tangentially elongated rectangular cells; outer few cells filled with reddish-brown contents; cortex consists of oval to elliptical, thin-walled parenchymatous cells; ground tissue, forming major portion of drug composed of oval to polygonal cells having a few scattered closed vascular bundles; starch grains found both in cortex and ground tissues, but abundant in ground tissue, rounded to oval, three sided with rounded angles or rod-shaped, simple, solitary or in groups, 11 to 28 n in diameter; hilum present at the narrower extremity.
Powder – Slightly yellowish-brown; shows parenchymatous cells; varying sizes of cone and rod-shaped starch grains measuring 11 to 28 n in dia.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 6 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 3 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 Silica gel ‘G’ using n-Butanol : Acetic acid: Water (4: 1 :5) shows three spots at Rf. 0.79 (light yellow), 0.85 (light yellow) and 0.92 (grey) in visible light. Under U.V. (366 nm) six fluorescent zones are visible at Rf. 0.48, 0.59, 0.73 (all light blue), 0.78 (grey), 0.85 (blue) and 0.92 (grey). On exposure to Iodine vapour seven spots appear at Rf. 0.12, 0.34, 0.59, 0.73, 0.78, 0.85 and 0.92 (all yellow). On spraying with 5% Methanolic-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for ten minutes at 110oC six spots appear at Rf. 0.34, 0.59, 0.66 (all light grey), 0.73, 0.85 and 0.92 (all grey).
CONSTITUENTS – Saponins-Steroidal, Saponins.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Balya, Pittakara, Rasayana, Svarya, Vrsya, Varnya, Slesmaghna, Ayurvardhana, Agnivrddhikara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Narasimha Curna, Vastyamayantaka Ghrta, Pancanimba Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Krmi, Kandu, Kustha, Prameha
DOSE – 3-6 gm.
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