VRSCIKALI (Whole Plant)
Vrscikali consists of dried whole plant of Tragia involucrata Linn. (Fam. Euphorbiaceme), a perennial, evergreen, twiner, more or less hispid with scattered stinging hairs, distributed throughout India from Punjab and Lower Himalayas eastwards to Assam and Meghalaya, ascending upto an altitude of 750 m and southwards to Kerala.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : —
Assamese : —
Bengali : Shedha Songi
English : Scorpion Tail Plant
Gujrati : Vichaati
Hindi : Vahanta, Vrishi-Kali
Kannada : Haligilu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Terkkada
Marathi : Vrischikali
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Thai Kodu Kkuppoondu
Telugu : —
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – Occurs in pieces of 2 to 10 cm long and 0.3 to 1.3 cm in dia., woody, hard, cylindrical, ribbed at some places, more or less rough due to presence of secondary roots and root scars; light brown; no characteristic odour and taste.
Stem – Cylindrical, slender, twining 0.2 to 0.6 cm in diameter, elongated, stinging to touch, and having fine ridges and furrows; light grey; moderately hard; internal surface whitish, composed of loosely arranged tissues; fracture, fibrous; no characteristic odour and taste.
Leaf – Simple, petiolate, stipulate, stinging to touch, linear-oblong to broadly ovate, cordate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate at apex, margin serrate; 1.5 to 5.5 cm long, 1 to 3 cm broad, slightly yellowish-green; no characteristic odour and taste.
b) Microscopic
Root – Root shows nearly circular outline; cork consisting of 3 to 10 layered, tangentially elongated, thin-walled cells; secondary cortex narrow consisting of fairly large, polygonal, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells; rosette crystals of calcium oxalate and some fibres present in the region; secondary phloem appears in form of conical caps, composed of sieve tubes, companion cells, parenchyma, fibres and phloem rays; fibres present in small groups of 2 to 4 cells arranged in tangential rows alternating with phloem elements; rosette crystals of calcium oxalate present in phloem parenchyma; secondary xylem forms major part of root composed of vessels, tracheids, parenchyma, fibres and xylem rays; vessels solitary or 2 or 3 to a group, having simple pits; fibres and tracheids having thick-walled and blunt ends; medullary rays 1 or 2 cells wide, rectangular to radially elongated and thick-walled; some cells contain starch grains and rosettes of calcium oxalate present in those towards periphery; starch grains rounded to oval in shape, measuring 4 to 9 n in diameter.
Stem – Mature stem shows cork composed of 3 to 8 layered, thin-walled cells; at a few places epidermis shows the presence of glandular and stinging hairs; secondary cortex a wide zone, consisting of tangentially elongated, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells; some cells contain rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; some laticifers present scattered in this region; secondary cortex followed by zone of pericycle fibres with highly thickened walls, arranged in groups; secondary phloem composed of sieve elements, phloem fibres and phloem parenchyma; phloem fibres thick-walled, some phloem parenchyma cells contain rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; laticifers scattered in the secondary phloem similar to those found in secondary cortex; cambium narrow consisting of thin-walled, tangentially elongated cells; secondary xylem in form of continuous cylinder traversed by narrow xylem rays; xylem consists of vessels, tracheids, xylem fibres and xylem parenchyma; vessels numerous distributed uniformly in groups or singles; in macerated material vessels vary in shape and size, with transverse to oblique perforation, lignified with pitted walls; xylem parenchyma usually rectangular having simple pits, xylem rays uni to triseriate, uniseriate being more common and usually 2 to 15 cells high, having pitted walls; pits consists of large, thinwalled parenchymatous cells, some cells with rosette crystals of calcium oxalate.
Leaf-
Petiole – shows irregular outline due to fine ridges and furrows; epidermis single layered having some unicellular glandular and stinging hairs; collenchyma 4 to 7 layered, followed by polygonal, thin-walled parenchymatous cells containing rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; vascular bundles collateral, five in number corresponding to ridges; centre occupied by oval to angular, thin-walled parenchymatous cells containing rosette crystals of calcium oxalate.
Midrib – nearly biconvex in outline; epidermis consists of single layered, oval, parenchymatous cells covered externally by a thin cuticle; some unicellular glandular and stinging hairs present on both surfaces; epidermis followed by 3 or 4 layers of collenchymatous cells; stele composed of single, collateral vascular bundle; ground tissue composed of 3 or 4 layers of thin-walled, polygonal, parenchymatous cells; rosette crystals of calcium oxalate present in parenchyma and phloem parenchyma.
Lamina – shows dorsiventral structure; epidermis on either side; upper epidermal cells radially elongated and larger in size; lower ones oval-shaped, tangentially elongated both covered externally by thick cuticle; glandular and stinging hairs present on both surfaces similar to those present in midrib; palisade 1 or 2 layered; spongy parenchyma 5 to 7 layered of loosely arranged cells, some contain rosette crystals of calcium oxalate; small veins found traversing spongy tissue at certain places.
Powder -Light greenish-yellow; shows groups of fibres, vessels with simple pits and spiral thickening, rosette crystals of calcium oxalate, simple rounded starch grains, fragments of lamina showing palisade and groups of spongy parenchyma, unicellular stinging hairs
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 4 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 11 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of alcoholic extract on Silica gel G plate using Chloroform : Ethyl acetate: Formic acid (5:4:1) shows under visible light two spots at Rf. 0.92 (light grey) and 0.95 (yellowish green). Under U.V. (366 nm) two fluorescent zones are visible at Rf. 0.92 (blue) and 0.95 (pink). On exposure to Iodine vapur six spots appear at Rf. 0.08, 0.27, 0.40, 0.50, 0.92 and 0.95 (all yellow). On spraying with 5% Ferric chloride solution and heating the plate for ten minutes a 110o C two spots appear a Rf. 0.92 and 0.95 (both bluish grey).
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu
Guna : Usna
Virya : Usna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Balya, Vatakara, Suddikrt, Hrtsuddhikrt
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Vidaryadi Kvatha Curna, Vidaryadi Ghrta
THERAPEUTIC USES – Arocaka, Raktapitta, Vibandha
DOSE – 3-6 gm.
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