LAVANGA
Lavanga is the dried flower bud of Syzygium aromaticum (Linn.) Merr. & L.M. Perry Syn. Eugenia aromatica Kuntze, Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb. (Fam. Myrtaceae), a tree. cultivated in many parts of the. world and also to a considerable extent in South India: flower buds collected twice a year, In the months of October and February when they change colour from green to crimson, dried carefully and separated from their peduncles.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Devapushpa
Assamese : Lavang, Lan, Long
Bengali : Lavang
English : Clove
Gujrati : Lavang, Laving
Hindi : Lavanga, Laung
Kannada : Lavanga
Kashmiri : Rung
Malayalam : Karampu, Karayarnpoovu, Grampu
Marathi : Lavang
Oriya : Labanga
Punjabi : Laung, Long
Tamil : Kirambu, Lavangam
Telugu : Lavangalu
Urdu : Qarnful, Laung
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Flower bud measuring 10-17.5 mm in length, dark brown or dusty red, consisting of a sub-cylindrical, slightly flattened, four sided hypanthium, readily exuding oil when pressed hypanthium containing in its upper portion a two celled inferior ovary with numerous ovules attached to a axile placenta, surmounted by four thick, divergent sepals and covered by unopened corolla consisting of four membranous imbricate petals, frequently detached, enclosing numerous incurved stamens and one erect-style, odour, strongly aromatic, taste, pungent, aromatic followed by slight tingling of the tongue.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of hypanthium shows epidermis and calyx teeth composed of straight walled cells, With thick cuticle having large anomocytic stomata, hypanthium tissue spongy, clusters of calcium oxalate crystals varying in size from 6-20 µ in diameter, small number of stone cells and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate present in stalk, stamens, each with an oil gland in the apex of the connective, triangularly centricular pollen grains, 15-20 µ in diameter anther walls showing a typical fibrous layer, schizolysigenous glands found in all parts of clove, occasional isolate pericyclic fibres present.
Power-Dark brown, fragments of parenchyma showing large oval, schizolysigenous oil cavities, spiral tracheids and a few rather thick-walled, spindle shaped fibres, calcium
oxalate crystals in rosette aggregates, 10-15 µ in diameter, fragments of anther walls with characteristic reticulated cells pollen grains numerous, tetrahedral, 15-20µ. in diameter.
CONSTITUENTS – Essential oils (eugenalacetate and caryophyllene).
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Katu, Tikta
Guna : Laghu, Tikshna
Virya : Shita(Cold)
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : shulahara, Dipana, Kasahara, Kaphapittasimaka, Picana, Rucya
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Lavangidi Vati, Lavangidi Churna
THERAPEUTIC USES – Amlapitta, svisa, Chhardi(vomiting), Adhmina, Hikki, Kasa, Kshaya, Trishni
DOSE – 0.5-2.0 g of the drug in powder form.
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