BILVA (Root)
Bilva consists of dried root of Aegle marmelos Corr. (Fam. Rutaceae); an armed, medium sized tree, occurring in the plains and upto 1000 m in the hills, as well as cultivated throughout the country, particularly in sacred groves.
SYNONYMS –
Sansk. : sriphal
Assam. : Bael, Vael
Beng. : Bela, Bilva
Eng. : Bael Root, Bengal Quince
Guj. : Bilivaphal, Bill, Bilum
Hindi. : Bel, Bela, Sriphal
Kan. : Bilva
Kash. : —
Mal. : Koovalam
Mar. : Baela, Bel
Ori. : Bela
Punj. : Bil
Tam. : Vilvam
Tel. : Maredu
Urdu. : Bel
DESCRIPTION –
a) Macroscopic:
Root cream yellow or pale yellowish-brown, thin, irregularly and shallowly ridged due to formation of longitudinal and transverse lenticels, surface ruptured, peeling off in layers, internal surface cream to light yellow; fracture, short; taste, sweet.
b) Microscopic:
Root shows lignified and stratified cork consisting of 3 or 4 alternating bands of 4-14 layers of smaller cells and a few layers of larger cells having golden yellow contents; secondary cortex, a wide zone, consisting of large, polyhedral, parenchymatous cells and stone cells of varying shapes and sizes, thick-walled, lignified, scattered throughout region; secondary phloem consists of sieve elements, fibres, parenchyma and crystals fibres traversed by phloem rays; some sieve elements compressed, forming tangential bands of ceratenchyma alternating with bands of lignified phloem fibres in outer phloem region, but intact in inner phloem region; phloem parenchyma radially and transversely elongated; phloem fibre groups arranged in concentric rings, fibre groups in inner phloem region extend tangentially from one meduallary ray to another, each group consisting of 2-35 or more cells; fibres long, generally with tapering ends but occasionally forked, lignified, some others have wavy walls; crystal fibres numerous, long, about 9-30 chambered, each containing a prismatic crystal of calcium oxalate; medullary rays uni to triseriate in inner region while bi to pentaseriate in outer region of phloem; cambium consists of 3-7 rows of tangentially elongated to squarish cells; secondary xylem consists of vessels tracheids, fibres and xylem parenchyma; vessels scattered throughout xylem region, in groups of 2-5, single vessels also found, varying in shape and size, mostly drum-shaped, with bordered pits some having a pointed, tail-like process at one end; fibres thick-walled with blunt or pointed tips; xylem parenchyma rectangular in shape; medullary rays uni to triseriate, bi and triseriate rays more common, triseriate rays 12-40 cells high, uniseriate rays 4-10 cells high; prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate present; starch grains simple, 5-19 µ in dia., mostly round to oval with centric hilum; compound starch grains having 2-3 components present in inner few layers of cork cells, secondary cortex, phloem and xylem rays.
Powder – Grey to greyish-brown; shows thick-walled, angular cells of cork, numerous prismatic crystal of calcium oxalate, crystal fibres, starch grains simple, 5-19 µ in dia., mostly round to oval with centric hilum; compound starch grains having 2-3 components, fragments of xylem vessels with bordered pits and thick-walled xylem fibres.
CONSTITUENTS – Auraptene, Coumarins, Glycosides
PROPERTIES AND ACTION –
Rasa : Madhura
Guna : Laghu
Virya : sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Mhutrala, Tridoshaghna
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Manasa Mitra Vataka, Amritarishta, Dantyadyarishta, Agastya Haritaki Rasayana, Dasamhularishta, Dasamhula Kvatha Churna, Bilvadi Leha.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Vatavyadhi, sotha, shula, Agnimandya, Chhardi(vomiting), Mhutrakricchra,Amavata
DOSE – 2-6 g. of the drug in powder form.
