Kulattha (Sd.)
KULATTHA
Kulattha consists of dry seeds of Vigna unquiculata (Linn.) Walp. Syn. Dolichos biflorus Linn. (Fam Leguminosae); an annual branched, sub-erect or twining, downy or glabrescent ; herb; cultivated all over India.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Khalva, Vardhipatraka
Assamese : —
Bengali : Kulattha, Kalaya
English : Horse gram
Gujrati : Kalathi, Kulathi
Hindi : Kulathi, Kurathi
Kannada : Huruli, Hurali
Kashmiri : Kath
Malayalam : Mudiraa
Marathi : Kulitha
Oriya : —
Punjabi : Lodhar
Tamil : Kollu, Kaanam
Telugu : Ulavalu
Urdu : Kulthi
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Seeds, hard, surface smooth, ellipsoid, flattened, greyish to reddish brown, 4-6 mm long and 4 mm wide, micropyle prominent, taste, somewhat astringent.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of seed shows testa consisting of a single layer of columnar, thin-walled, parenchymatous, palisade like cells covered with a thin cuticle followed by single layer of rectangular to square bearer cells and 3-4 layers of thin-walled rectangular parenchymatous cells, more wide at micropyler region, cotyledon consisting of single layer of upper and lower epidermis covered with a thin cuticle, epidermal cells thin-walled, rectangular and parenchymatous followed by mesophyll, consisting of angular parenchymatous cells, filled with numerous simple starch grains and protein bodies also present.
Powder-Whitish in colour, under microscope shows broken pieces of testa, parenchymatous cells and starch
CONSTITUENTS – An enzyme (urease) and oil.
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Kashiya
Guna : Laghu, Sara
Virya : Ushna
Vipaka : Katu
Karma : Vidihi; Svedasangrihaka, Krimihara, Kaphavitahara.
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Saptasira Kvitha Churna, Dhinvantara Taila
THERAPEUTIC USES – Asmari, Nashirtava
DOSE – 12 g of the drug in powder form for decoction.
Vigna unquiculata
