Jatamansi (Rz.)
JATAMAMSI
JatimiNsi consists of dried rhizome of Nardostachys jatamansi DC.(Fam. Valerianaceae) , an errect perennial herb, 10-60 cm high growing at an altitude of 3000-5000 m on the sub-alpine Himalayan tracts.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : MiNsi, Jai, Jaili
Assamese : Jatamansi, Jatamangshi
Bengali : Jatamamsi
English : Nardus root
Gujrati : Baalchad, Kalichad
Hindi : Balchara
Kannada : Bhootajata, Ganagila maste
Kashmiri : Bhutijata
Malayalam : Manchi, Jatamanchi
Marathi : Jatamansi
Oriya : Jatamansi
Punjabi : Billilotan, Balchhar, Chharguddi
Tamil : Jatamanji
Telugu : Jatamams
Urdu : Sumbul-ut-teeb
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Dried rhizome dark brown, 2.5-7.5 cm long, cylindrical, covered with reddishbrown fibres forming a net work, which are skeletons of sheathing leaf bases, fracture, brittle, internal colour reddish-brown, colour, strongly aromatic, taste, acrid, slightly bitter.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of rhizome shows cork consisting of 2-5 layers of cells filled with oil globules, cortex characterised by the presence of schizogenous canals, phloem in form of patches of small cells, cambium ring distinct and continuous, xylem consists of vessles, scattered individually or in rows of two or three vessels, with scalariform thickening, older rhizomes show one or more stellate shaped rings of interxylary and medullary cork, completely or incompletely separating the rhizome into four to nine vascular strands by joining outer cork, each separated strand encircled by a few layers of cork cell consisting of an outer cortex zone followed by two or more functional vascular bundles, tissues in between the strands usually non-functional except for the cork cells which act as storage organ for oil globule.
CONSTITUENTS – Essential oil and resinuous matter.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta, Kashiya
Guna : Laghu
Virya : Shita(Cold)
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Medhya, Tridoshanut, Varnya, Nidrijanana, Kushhaghna.
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – JatimiNsyarka
THERAPEUTIC USES – Diha, Kushtha, Visarpa, Minasaroga, Anidri
DOSE – 2-3 g of the drug in powder form.
5-10 g of the drug for decoction.
