KEBUKA (Rhizome)
Kebuka consists of the dried rhizome of Costus speciosus (Koerning ex Retz.) Smith. (Fam. Zingiberacem), a herb commonly found in sub-Himalayan tract extending between Kangra to Arunachal Pradesh and also in Western Ghats.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Kemhuka, Kebuka, Kemuka, Kembu
Assamese : —
Bengali : Kevu
English : —
Gujrati : —
Hindi : Kebu, Kemuk, Kemuaa
Kannada : Chenglavaa-Koshtu, Changalvakoshtu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Channakkilannu, Channakkuvva
Marathi : Pevaa
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : Koshtam
Telugu : Chenglavaa-Koshtu
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Tuberous rhizome, horizontally branched, 4 to 6 cm long and 2 to 3 cm thick; outer surface grey to dark brown, longitudinal wrinkles and small circular leaf scars on upper surface; numerous nipple-shaped buds present throughout its length; numerous slender roots occurs along with rhizome, possesses rootlets which makes it slightly rough; fracture, short fibrous and hard, odourless and tasteless.
b) Microscopic
Rhizome- Rhizome consists of 6 to 10 layers of stratified cork cells, followed by ground tissue; 10 to 12 layers of cortex below the cork layers are more compactly arranged than the remaining layers; cells of the cortex filled with sac-shaped starch grains; starch grain measuring about 35 to 68 n m long and 26 to 38 n m wide, hilum eccentric, striations not visible; endodermis well marked. A large number of vascular bundles scattered throughout the ground tissue, but within the endodermis vascular bundles are closer to each other; each bundle has xylem almost surrounded by phloem; sclerenchymatous, fibrous sheath surrounds each of the vascular bundles; clusters of calcium oxalate found in some cells of the ground tissue.
Powder– Light to dark brown, easily flowable with fine to coarse texture; crystals of calcium oxalate prismatic and clusters; granules of sac-shaped starch are mostly simple but rarely compound form also found; thick walled fibres, both simple and septa, several show marks and adjacent cells appressed against them; tips blunt in shorter, and pointed in longer fibres; vessels both pitted and reticulate.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 20 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 5 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 12 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
T.L.C.
T.L.C. of the alcoholic extract on Silica gel ‘G’ plate using Chloroform : Glacial acetic acid : Methanol : Water (5:2:2:1) shows under UV light (365 nm) a fluorescent zone at Rf. 0.95 (greenish yellow). On sparying with Anisaldehyde-Sulphuric acid reagent and heating the plate for ten minutes at 105oC, nine spots appear at Rf. 0.11, 0.22, 0.33, 0.49, 0.59, 0.72, 0.79, 0.87 (all green) and 0.95 (blue)
CONSTITUENTS – Steroidal Saponins such as (Tigogenin and diosgenin).
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Laghu, Ruksa
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Pacana, Garbhasaya Sankocaka, Grahi, Hrdya, Krmighna, Kaphahara, Pittahara, Raktasodhaka, Dipana
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Krmighna Kvatha Curna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Agnimandya, Slipada, Arsa, Grahani, Jvara, Kamala, Kasa, Kusta, Prameha, Raktavikara, Kaphapittaja Vikara, Krmiroga, Svitra, Kaphaja, Mutrakrcchra
DOSE – 3-6 g (after purification).