MUVILA

SI Name:Desmodium gangetcum 

Family – Papilionacea

Introduction



The drug which has been studied in this work is the classical drug called as Saliparni. Saliparni is common classical drug which has been mentioned in various ayurvedic classical texts. It is a commonly available plant with a wide range of uses.


Like with some ayurvedic drugs, there is confusion regarding the identification and nomenclature of the plant. While the vaidyas in the northern part of India consider it as the species Desmodium gangeticum, the vaidyas of the south identifies it as the species Pseudarthria viscida. Since the work has been done in south India the species Pseudarthria viscida has been studied and explained in this work.


 
Rasadi Gunas:
 
Rasa - Madhura, Tikta

Guna- Guru, Snigdha
Veerya - Usna
Vipaka – Madhura


Synonyms



The various synonyms according to various ayurvedic texts are,


1-vidarigandha – The arises as the kanda or the stem has the smell similar to that of vidari(Ipomea digitata)
2 -amsumati –It is named so due to the shape of it’s root which resembles the rays of sun
3-Salaparni – The name orginatd due to its similarity to the leaves to that of leaves of sala tree (shorea robusta)
4-Sthira – It is so called, as its root exists in the land for a long period of time.
5-Dirghapatra – As it has long and narrow leaves
6-Dirghamula – This name arised due to its long roots
7-Dhirghangi – This name originated due to its long limbed branches.
8-Ekamula – It is named so as it has a single root
9-Saliparni – The name originated due to its resemblance of its leaves to the leaves of that of Sali or Paddi
10-Vrihiparni – The name aroused due to the similarity of its leaves to that of Vrihi or a Bear


Distribution and habitat



Saliparni is a common plant found in almost all districts of southern parts of India. It is mainly seen in areas from southwards of the river Godavari. It is very common in Kerala, where it is found in areas of sea level to up to that of 3000feet in the hills. It grows well in the dry gravelling soil under cover and also as undergrowth in damp forest. It is mainly seen as a weed and grows wildly through out.


Habit


It is villous or viscid, pubescent, semi erect, or more often diffusely creeping “Desmodium like” perennial under shrub up to 2 feet high with several slender, mostly prostrate or tailing branches with long internodes often rooting at the nodes, bearing palmately trifoliate leaves almost invariably marked with pale green or greenish white irregular patches. They have elongate filiform racemes of small bright purplish or pink flowers and very sticky or adhering pods about three fourth of an inch long and quarter inch broad.


External morphology


Branches

Branches are many. They are 2-4 feet long or even longer. The branches are covered with soft fine grayish white pubescence.


Leaves


Leaves are pinnately trifoliate, alternate, and stipulate. Stipules are free and hairy. The leaves are lanceolate, subulate or cuspidate. They are 4.5-6mm long deciduous. They have leaflets with filiform stipules below. Lateral leaflets are rhombiform or ovate. They are present one or two inches either way. The terminal one, to be rhomboid ovate. Petioles are densely hairy and half to one inch long.


Inflorescence


They have a fairly long terminal erect hairy raceme often with one or more smaller branches arising from the axils of the uppermost leaves.


Flower


Flowers are many, small, deep purple, red or pink color. They are arranged in distantly placed fascicles of 2 to 4 or comparatively long spreading, filiform pedicels jointed or articulated close beneath the calyx. Bracts are narrow lanceolate subulate calyx about a tenth of an inch long, hairy canpanulate left to middle in 2 obscure lips, 5 toothed- the upper two subconnate forming an upper lip


Corolla is nearly twice as long as the calyx. They are papilionaceous, exerted and with petals nearly equal.


Stamens are diadelphous- nine and one. Anthers are uniform. Ovary is sub sessile and many ovules. Style short subulate or filiform


Fruit


A flat compressed or slightly inflated linear oblong indehiscent one celled legume half to three quarters of an inch long and about one fourth an inch broad. With its chamber continuous with in. the valves of the fruit are membranous transversely, veined and closely covered with many stiff hooked viscid hairs. The sutures are densely ciliate but not usually intended or only slightly indented.


Seed


Seeds are varying from four to six. They are brownish black in color, compressed and some what reniform in structure.


Histology


The transverse section is circular. It shows a central strand of wood, a narrow bark and a thin dark brown strip of cork.


The cork tissue is compressed of 10-15 rows of thick walled rectangular cells. Those towards the periphery often have dark brown contents. A distinct phellogen with a few rows of phelloderm within is made out


The cortex is comparatively narrow and composed of oblong cells. A noteworthy feature of this region is the presence of short tangential rows or series of very large thin walled cells filled with brownish contentswithin the broadened distal ends of the medullary rays. Small irregular groups of sclerenchyma also occur here. The medullary rays are 2-3 and their cells are loaded with stacks. The phloem is of usual type. The xylem or wood is composed of a large portion of wood fibers, a small amount of xylem. Parenchyma and xylem vessels, in addition to the medullary rays. The xylem parenchyma cells contain starch


Useful part
Roots are the commonly used part however the whole plant is also used




Chemical constituents
Root contain yellow resinous matter, oil, alkaline substance and 6% ash

VITEX NEGUNDO

Botanical Name : Vitex Negundo

Family Name : Verbenaceae

GENERAL DISCRIPTION:

The Sanskrit word nirgundi literally means that which protects the body from diseases. It is one of the herbs mentioned in all Samhitas of Ayurveda and has varios synonyms like sinduka, sephali, sitabhiru, vanaka, bhutakesi, anilamanjiri etc. Two varieties of nirgundi described in Nighantus are white flowered sinduvaraka and blue flowered – suvaha (Bhavaprakasa). The great sage Caraka has categorized nirgundi as krmighna anthelmintic and visaghna – anti – toxin.

DISTRIBUTION:
The plant grows all over India, in wastelands, upto 1500 meters elevation. Commonly it is cultivated as a hedge plant.
MORFOLOGY:
A large shrub or rather small tree grows 2-4 meters in height, with quadrangular branches and thin grey bark. The leaves petiolate, smooth, exstipulate, have a typical pungent odor. The flowers are bluish purple in color, lanceolate, in panicles upto 30 cm long. The fruits are ovoid or obovoid, four-seeded drupes, black when ripe.




CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS:
The leaves contain fragrant, volatile oil and resins. The fruits contain resine, astringent organic acids, alkaloids and a pigment. The plant also contains alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, reducing sugars, sterols, resin and tannins. From seeds-n-triacontane, n-hentriacontane, n-pentatriacontane, n-nonacosane, sitosterol, p-hydrobenzoic acid and 5- oxyisophthalic acid isolated. Also, 3, 4- dihydroxybenzoec acid is isolated from seeds. Vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and luteolin are isolated from bark. From essential oil pinene, limonene, camphene, phellandrene, methylheptanone, cumene, linalool, camphor, 4-terpineol, citral, caryophylline oxide, caryophyllene, terpinyl acetate, benzal – dehyde & cinnamaldehyde identified. Nishinaside and regundiside isolated from leaves

PROPERTIES:


Nigundi is pungent, bitter and astringent in taste, pungent in the post digestive effect and has hot potency. It alleviates vata and kapha doshas, but aggravates the pitta dosha. It possesses light and dry attributes. It has antipyretic, anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory properties and is used in diseases like fever, worms, dermatoses, adenitis and splenic diseases etc




PARTS USED:
Whole Plant






USES:
The leaves are astringent, febrifuge, sedative, tonic and vermifuge. They are useful in dispersing swellings of the joints from acute rheumatism and of the testes from suppressed gonorrhoea. The juice of the leaves is used for removing foetid discharges and worms from ulcers, whilst an oil prepared with the leaf juice is applied to sinuses and scrofulous sores. A decoction of the stems is used in the treatment of burns and scalds.




The dried fruit is vermifuge and is also used in the treatment of angina, colds, coughs, rheumatic difficulties etc. The fresh berries are pounded to a pulp and used in the form of a tincture for the relief of paralysis, pains in the limbs, weakness etc. The root is expectorant, febrifuge and tonic. It is used in the treatment of colds and rheumatic ailments. The plant is said to be a malarial preventative and is also used in the treatment of bacterial dysentery - extracts of the leaves have shown bactericidal and antitumor activity. The leaves are used to repel insects in grain stores. Extracts of the leaves have insecticidal activity. The fresh leaves are burnt with grass as a fumigant against mosquitoes. A decoction of the leaves and the vapours are employed in baths for treatment of febrile, catarrhal and rheumatic affections. The flowers are astringent and are used in fever, diarrhoea and liver complaints.


Classical Ayurvedic Preparations

PUTHARI CHUNDA

SI Name: Solanum indicum
Family: Solanaceae

General discription:
Brhati root forms one of the Laghupancamula meaning literally, minor five roots, of Dasamula kvatha (decoction of ten roots), one of the widely prescribed formulation of Ayurveda. Maharsi Caraka has categorized brhati as kanthya – benefical for the throat, sothahara – relieves oedema , angamarda prasamana – relieves bodyache and hikka nigrahana – anti – hiccup.


Distribution:

Brhati occurs throughout India, often in waste places, on roadsides and in open scrublands.

Morfology:
It is a prickly, much branched shrub, usually spreading or diffused, It grows upto 1-5 metres in height. The young branches are densely covered with minute star – shaped hairs . The prickles are yellow, shining, about 1-5 cm long. The leaves upto 10 cm long, their midribs and other nerves with sharp yellow prickles. The flowers are purple, about 2 cm long, in racemose extra – axillary cymes. The fruits round, 1.5 – 2 cm, dark yellow when ripe. The seeds are smooth, minutely pitted.

Rasadi Gunas:
Rasa : Tikta, Katu, Kashaya
Guna : Lakhu, Rooksha

Virya : Ushna


Chemical constituents:
The fruit and root of brhati contain wax, fatty acids and alkaloids solanin and solanidine.


Disogenin, lanosterol, sitosterol. Solasonnine, solamargine and solasidine have been isolated from the plant. A glycoalkaloid, solasonine on hydrolysis afforded solasodine, sugars, glucose, galactose and rhamnose,


Properties



Brhati is pungent and bitter in taste , pungent in the psot digestive effect and has hot potency . It alleviates kapha and vata dosas. It possesses light , dry and sharp attributes. It is an appetizer, digestant, diuretic and is beneficial to the heart. It alleviates cough and asthma. It is useful in the diseases like fever, cough, skin diseases, distaste and pain.


Uses


The roots and fruits are used for medicinal purpose. The herb is useful both internally as well as externally. Externally, the fresh juice of brhati is applied in alopecia areata with honey. The mixture of powders of brhati fruit, haridra and daruharidra rhizomes is beneficial, topically, in pruritus vulvae to alleviate intense itching. In halitosis (bad breath), the gargle with the decoction of brhati is an effective deodorant. The paste of its seeds is applied on the penis, in erectile failure, with great benefit. The inhalation of its seeds powder like snuff is a good stimulant in samjnanasa. The paste of brhati alleviates pain and itching.


Internally, brhati is used in vast range of diseases. The fruit juice mixed with honey and ghee prepared from cow’s milk effectively curbs vomiting. The plant is beneficial in various digestive ailments like loss of appetite, abdominal pain, distaste, worms and colitis. In respiratory problems like colds, cough, asthma , sinusitis, pleurisy the decoction of its roots works well with the fruit powder of pippali )Piper Iongum). The cough due to kapha and vata are controlled with the decoction of its roots given along with the honey and ghee. Respectively. Being hot and sharp in properties, brhati liquefies the phlegm and relieves the blocked mucous and clears off the respiratory channels. It is the best blood purifier, hence, benevolent in blood disorders. Brhati stimulates and strengthens the heart and ameliorates the oedema. It also works well in dysuria and urinary calculi as it is diuretic in action. In fever, it is of special benefit, as it digests ama for which, its decoction is recommended with sunthi and dhanyaka. The seeds boost uterine contraction, so are used in dysmenorrheal, amenorrhea and in difficult labour. The seeds also bestow an aphrodisiac action. In urinary disorders like dysuria, urinary stones and cystitis, the medicated ghee of its roots brhati mula siddha ghrta, is commonly used. Brhati is useful in various deramatoses.




Classical Ayurvedic Preparations:


Dasamularista
Brhatyadi kvatha
Brhati mula siddha ghrta