Haridra (Rz.)
HARIDRA
Haridri consists of the dried and cured rhizomes of Curcuma longa Linn. (Fam. Zingiberaceae), a perennial herb extensively cultivated in all parts of the country, crop is harvested after 9-10 months when lower leaves turn yellow rhizomes carefully dug up with hand-picks between October-April and cured by boiling and dried.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Rajani, Nisi, Nisi, Ritri, Kshanadi, Doshi
Assamese : Haldhi, Haladhi
Bengali : Halud, Haldi
English : Turmeric
Gujrati : Haldar
Hindi : Haldi, Hardi
Kannada : Arishina
Kashmiri : Ledar, Ladhir
Malayalam : Manjal
Marathi : Halad
Oriya : Haladi
Punjabi : Haldi, Haldar
Tamil : Manjal
Telugu : Pasupu
Urdu : Haldi
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Rhizomes ovate, oblong or pyriform (round turmeric) or cylindrical, often short branched (long turmeric), former about half as broad as long, latter 2-5 cm long and about 1-1.8 cm thick, externally yellowish to yellowish-brown with root scars and annulations of leaf bases, fracture horny, fractured surface orange to reddish brown, central cylinder twice as broad as cortex: odour and taste characteristic.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of rhizome shows epidermis with thick-walled, cubical cells of various dimensions, cortex characterised by the presence of mostly thin-walled rounded parenchyma cells scattered collateral vascular bundles, a few layers of cork developed under epidermis and scattered oleo-resin cells with brownish contents; cork generally composed of 4-6 layers of thin-walled, brick-shaped parenchyma, cells of ground tissue contain starch grains of 4-15 µ in diameter, oil cell with suberised walls containing either orange-yellow globules of volatile oil or amorphous resinous matter, vessels mainly spirally thickened, a few reticulate and annular.
CONSTITUENTS – Essential oil and a colouring matter (curcumin).
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Ruksha
Virya : Ushna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Krimighna, Kushhaghna, Varnya, Vishaghna, Kaphapittanut, Pramehanisaka
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Haridri Khanda
THERAPEUTIC USES – Pandu, Prameha, Vrana, Vishavikira, Kushtha, Tvagroga, Shita(Cold)pitta,Pinasa
DOSE – 1-3 g of the drug in powder form.
