VISALA (Root)
Visala consists of dried root of Trichosanthes bracteata (Lam.) Voigt (Fam. Cucurbitacem), a large perennial, upto 9 m in height, dioecious, branched, woody tendril climber, commonly growing in moist thickets from the Himalayas to the south, ascending upto an altitude of 2,500 m.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Mahakala, Gavadani
Assamese : —
Bengali : Maakaal
English : —
Gujrati : Raataan Indraayan
Hindi : Maakaal, Mahar Kaundala, Lal Indraayan, Mahakaal
Kannada : Avagudehannu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Kaakkattonti
Marathi : Kaundal, Kavandal
Oriya : Mahaakaal
Punjabi : Kmhree, Aankorattai
Tamil : Korattai
Telugu : Erraa Chedupucca
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Well developed fibrous roots, pale yellow to creamish-brown, available in pieces, 4 to 15 cm long, 0.3 to 2 cm thick; cylindrical and slightly curved; deeply grooved longitudinally; external surface, dusty, shrivelled, rough due to exfoliating cork, longitudinal fissures and root scars; fracture, fibrous; taste, bitter and astringent.
b) Microscopic
Root- Root shows multi-layered cork, outer layers exfoliating, inner of rectangular cells, cortex narrow with a row of sclereids externally and shows presence of patches of fibres; phloem, narrow of small polygonal cells; bulk of root composed of large rounded vessels arranged in radiating rows interspersed by dominant strands of multiseriate medullary rays filled completely with starch grains; pith absent.
Powder– Deep creamish-brown; abundant sclereids of various shapes, mostly in groups, isodiametric sclereids 20 to 30 n, thick-walled with round lumen, strongly striated; fibres, singly and in groups; cork cells; well developed reticulately thickened and border-pitted vessels; starch grains, mostly simple.
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 3 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 4 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 chloroform : methanol (9:1) shows spots at Rf 0.16, 0.42, 0.63, 0.69, 0.77 and 0.83 (all purple) on spraying with vanillin-sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate at 105oC for about ten minutes.
CONSTITUENTS – Saponins, trichosanthin.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu, Ruksa
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Kaphahara, Pittahara, Vamaka, Visaghna, Prasutikrta
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Paniya Kalyanaka Ghrta, Visaladi Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Granthi, Gulma, Jvara, Kamala, Kasa, Kustha, Prameha, Slipada, Svasa, Vrddhi, Vrana, Amadosa, Antarvrddhi, Stanapida, Plihodara, Gandamaya, Mudhagarbha
DOSE – 1 -3 g.
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