KRISHNASARIVA (Root)
Krishnasariva consists of dried roots of Cryptolepis buchanani Roem. & Schult. (Fam. Asclepiadaceae), a perennial, much branched climber with milky juice, found throughout the country from Western Kashmir to Assam, ascending to 1200 m in the Himalayas.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Jambu Patra, syama, Krishnavalli, Krishnamhuli
Assamese : —
Bengali : Shyamalata, Krishna Saarivaa
English : —
Gujrati : —
Hindi : Kaleesar, Kalee Anantmool
Kannada : Karccumbu
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Kalipalvalli
Marathi : Mothi Kawalee, Kallee Kawalee
Oriya : —
Punjabi : —
Tamil : —
Telugu : Naltig, Adavipalatige, Rokallipala
Urdu : —
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Roots vary in length and are 1 to 1.5 cm thick; slender, cylindrical, dark brown orblackish; rough due to fine longitudinal ridges and wrinkles running sinuously lengthwise; thicker roots show a few transverse cracks, fissures and longitudinal wrinkles with remnants of rootlets and a few lenticels; cork easily peelable; fracture, short and fibrous; odour, slightly aromatic; taste, sweet and astringent.
b) Microscopic
Shows thin cork consisting of 4 to 14 layers of thin-walled, rectangular to tangentially elongated cells, arranged radially; cork cambium single layered, followed by a wide zone of secondary cortex composed of polyhedral, oval to tangentially elongated cells having fibres in single or in groups of two to ten; fibres long, thick-walled but very occasionally appear also as elongated stone cells; secondary phloem wide consisting of sieve elements, phloem parenchyma, fibres and a few crysta1 fibres, and traversed by phloem rays; phloem fibres occur in small groups or rarely in singles, somewhat similar in shape to those of secondary cortex with comparatively thicker walls; crystal fibres elongated, thick-walled and divided into chambers, usually 7 to 17 in number, each chamber containing a prismatic crysta1 of calcium oxalate; medullary rays urn-to triseriate; cambium 2 to 4 layered; secondary xylem composed of vessels, tracheids, fibre-tracheids, fibres and parenchyma and traversed by xylem rays; vessels with bordered pits, and filled with tyloses; tracheids long and narrow having bordered pits, and moderately thick-walls; xylem parenchyma usually rectangular in shape with pitted walls but some of the pits become T or Y shaped with reticulate thickening; xylem elements thick-walled and lignified; simple and compound starch grains found in abundance in all parenchymatous cells simple being elliptical to oval, measuring 3 to 19 µ in dia., with central hilum and compound with 2 or 3 components.
Powder – Light grey; shows fragments of cork cells, vessels having bordered pits, tracheids, fibres, prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate, starch grains numerous, simple and compound, elliptical to oval, measuring 3 to 19 µ in dia., with central hilum and compound with 2 or 3 components.
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloids.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Tikta
Guna : Guru, Snigdha
Virya : sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Tridoshahara, Trishnahara, Ama Vishaghna, sukrakara, Vishaghna, Kaphanasaka, Sangrahi, Rakta Vikara Nashaka, Rucya
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Candanadi Taila, satavari Guda, Kalyanaka Gria, Triphala Ghrita, Brihata Phala Ghrita, Maha Kalyanaka Ghrita, Maha Tiktaka Ghrita, Maha Pancagavya Ghrita, Vastyamayantaka Ghrita, Brihatcchagalyadi Ghrita
THERAPEUTIC USES – Agnimandya, Aruci, Atisara, Jvara, Kshaya, Kushtha, Pradara, Prameha, Raktapitta, Svasa, Kasa, Mukha Daurgandhya, Kandu, Vata Rakta, Dehadurgandha
DOSE – 5-10 gm.
