ASOKA
Asoka consists of dried stem bark of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) De. Willd , Syn. Saraca indica Linn. (Fam. Leguminosae), collected in spring from mature, wild or cultivated trees, found in Central and Eastern Himalayas, Western Ghats and Deccan.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Kankeli
Assamese : Ashoka
Bengali : Ashoka
English : Asok Tree
Gujrati : Ashoka
Hindi : Ashoka
Kannada : Ashokadamara, Ashokamara, Kankalimara
Kashmiri : Ashok
Malayalam : Asokam
Marathi : Ashok
Oriya : Ashoka
Punjabi : Asok
Tamil : Asogam, Asogu, Asokam
Telugu : Ashokapatta
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Bark channelled, externally dark green to greenish grey, smooth with circular lenticels and transversely ridged, sometimes cracked, internally reddish-brown with fine longitudinal strands and fibers, fracture splintery exposing striated surface, a thin whitish continuous layer is seen beneath the cork layer, taste, astringent.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of stem bark shows periderm consisting of a wide layer of cork, radially flattened narrow cork cambium, secondary cortex wide with one or two continuous layers of stone cells with many patches of sclereids, parenchymatous tissue contains yellow masses and prismatic crystals: secondary phloem consists of phloem parenchyma, sieve tubes with companion cells and phloem fibres occuring in groups, crystal fibres present.
a) Macroscopic
Bark channelled, externally dark green to greenish grey, smooth with circular lenticels and transversely ridged, sometimes cracked, internally reddish-brown with fine longitudinal strands and fibers, fracture splintery exposing striated surface, a thin whitish continuous layer is seen beneath the cork layer, taste, astringent.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of stem bark shows periderm consisting of a wide layer of cork, radially flattened narrow cork cambium, secondary cortex wide with one or two continuous layers of stone cells with many patches of sclereids, parenchymatous tissue contains yellow masses and prismatic crystals: secondary phloem consists of phloem parenchyma, sieve tubes with companion cells and phloem fibres occuring in groups, crystal fibres present.
CONSTITUENTS – Tannins and a crystalline glycoside.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Tikta, Kashiya
Guna : Laghu, Ruksha
Virya : Shita(Cold)
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Hridya, Vishaghna, Grihi, Varnya, sothahara
Rasa : Tikta, Kashiya
Guna : Laghu, Ruksha
Virya : Shita(Cold)
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Hridya, Vishaghna, Grihi, Varnya, sothahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Asokirishta, Asokaghrita
THERAPEUTIC USES – sotha, Diha, Asrigdara, Apaci, Raktadosha
DOSE – 20-30 g of the drug for decoction.
