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.

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.

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.