VARUNA
Varuna consists of dried stem bark of Cratmva nurvala Buch-Ham (Fam. Capparidacem), a small wild or cultivated tree found throughout the year in India, often found along streams, also in dry, deep boulder formation in Sub-Himalayan tracts.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Varana
Assamese : —
Bengali : Varuna
English : Three leaved caper
Gujrati : Vayvarno, Varano
Hindi : Baruna, Barna
Kannada : Bipatri, Mattamavu, Neervalamara
Kashmiri : Kath
Malayalam : Neermatalam
Marathi : Vayavarna, Haravarna, Varon
Oriya : Baryno
Punjabi : Barna, Barnahi
Tamil : Maralingam
Telugu : Bilvarani
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Thickness or bark varies, usually 1-1.5 cm according to the age and portion of the plant from where the bark is removed, outer surface, greyish to greyish-brown with ashgrey patches, at places, surface rough due to a number of lenticels, shallow fissures and a few vertical or longitudinal ridges, inner most surface smooth and cream white in colour, fracture tough and short, odour, indistinct, taste, slightly bitter.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of mature stem bark shows, an outer cork composed of thinwalled, rectangular and tangentially elongated cells, phellogen single layered, thinwalled, tangentially elongated cells followed by a wide secondary cortex, consisting of thin-walled, polygonal to tangentially elongated cells with a number of starch grains, starch grains mostly simple, occasionally compound with 2-3 components also present’, large number of stone cells in groups of two or more, found scattered in secondary cortex, single stone cells not very common, stone cells vary in size and shape, being circular to rectangular or elongated with pits and striations on their walls, stone cells distributed somewhat in concentric bands in phloem region except in inner region of phloem which is devoid of stone cells, secondary phloem comparatively a wide zone, consisting of sieve tubes, companion cells, parenchyma and groups of stone cells, alternating with medullary rays, sieve elements found compressed forming ceratenchyma in outer phloem region, whereas in inner region of phloem, intact, medullary rays mostly multiseriate composed of thin-walled, radially elongated cells, tangentially elongated towards outer periphery, a number of starch grains similar to secondary cortex also present in phloem and ray cells, few rhomboidal crystals of calcium oxalate also found in this region, inner most layer is cambium.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 13 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 1 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 8 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Saponin and tannin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Laghu, Ruksa
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Bhedi, Dipana, Vataslesmahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Varunadi Kvatha Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Asmari, Gulma, Mutrakrcchra, Vidradhi
DOSE – 20-30 g of the drug for decoction.
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