Asparagus recemosus (Root)

SATAVARI (Root)
Stavari consists of tuberous roots of Asparagus recemosus Willd. (Fam. Liliaceae), an ascending, spinous much branched, perennial climber found throughout the country.

asparagus racemosus

SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Narayani, Vari, Abhiru, Atirasa
Assamese : Satmull
Bengali : Satamuli, Satmuli, Shatamuli
English : Asparagus
Gujrati : Satavari
Hindi : Satavar, Satamul
Kannada : Ashadi poeru, Halavu Bau, Narayani, Makkala
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Satavari Kizhangu
Marathi : Shatavari
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Satavar
Tamil : Shimai-Shadvari, Nilichedi Kishangu
Telugu : Sima-Shatawari (Dry Root), Pippipichara, Pilliteegalu (Fresh Root)
Urdu : Satawari

DESCRIPTION

a) Macroscopic
Root tuberous, 10 to 30 cm in length and 0.1 to 0.5 cm thick, tapering at both ends with longitudinal wrinkles; colour cream; taste, sweetish.

b) Microscopic
Shows an outer layer of piliferous cells, ruptured at places, composed of small, thin-walled, rectangular asymetrical cells, a number of cells elongated to form unicellular root hairs; cortex comprises of 25 to 29 layers, distinct in two zones, outer and inner cortex; outer cortex consists of 6 or 7 layers, compactly arranged, irregular to polygonal, thick walled, lignified cells; inner cortex comprise of 21 to 23 layers, oval to polygonal, thin-walled, tangentially elongated cells with intercellular spaces; stone cells, either singly or in groups, form a discontinuous to continuous ring in the upper part of this region; raphides of calcium oxalate also present in this region; 2 or 3 layers of stone cells encirle the endodermis; endodermis composed of thin-walled parenchymatous cells; pericycle present below endodermis; stele ex arch and radial in position; xylem consist of vessels, tracheids and parenchyma; xylem vessels have pitted thickening; phloem patches consists of usual element; pith composed of circular to oval parenchymatous cells, a few cells slightly lignified.

asparagus racemosus

Powder – Yellowish-cream; fragments of lignified, thick-walled cells; vessels with simple pits, pieces of raphides, numerous, lignified, rectangular elongated’ stone cells having clear striations with wide as well as narrow lumen and groups of parenchyma.

CONSTITUENTS – Sugar, Glycosides, Saponin and Sitosterol.

PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Tikta
Guna : Guru, Snigdha
Virya : sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : sukrala, Balya, Hridya, Medhya, Pittahara, Rasayana, Vrishya, sukraja, Kaphavataghna, Vataharaa, Stanyakara, Netrya, Agnipushtikara

IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS –
Brahma Rasayana, Mahanarayana Taila, satavari Guda, Phuga Khanda, Saubhagyasunhi, Brihacchagalyadi Ghrita, satavari Ghrita, satavari Kalpa, Asvagandharishta,Narasimha Churna

THERAPEUTIC USES – Amlapitta, Arsha, Atisara, Gulma, Kshaya, Raktatisara, Raktapitta, Raktavikara, Vatarakta, Visarpa, soha, Parinama shula, Mutrarakta, Vatajvara, Svarabheda, Naktandhya, Shutika Roga, Stanya Dosha, Stanya Kshaya

DOSE
– 3-6 gm of the drug.