Dayati phul, Dhaiphul, Dhataki

Biological Source

Dhataki consists of flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa (Linn.) Kurz. (Family - Lythraceae) : much branched, semi deciduous, undershrub or shrub, 1-3 m high, rarely upto 3 m, found throughout India, ascending to 1500 m in Himalayas and also in the Gangetic plains , also cultivated in gardens.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Bahupuspi, Tamrapushpi, Vahnijvala

Assam :- Dhaiphool

Bengali :- Dhaiphul

English :- Fire flame bush

Gujrati :- Dhavadi, Dhavani

Hindi :- Dhai, Dhava

Kannada :- Dhataki, Tamrapushpi

Kashmiri :- Kath

Malayalam :- Tattiripuvu, Tatire

Marathi :- Dhayati, Dhavati

Oriya :- Dhaiphula, Dhatuki

Punjabi :- Davi, Phul Dhava

Tamil :- Kattati, Kattathi., Kattattipoo

Telugu :- Aarl Puruvu

Urdu :- ----------------

Description

A) Macroscopic

Flower, about 1.2 cm long, occurs as single or in bunches of 2-15, calyx 1.0-1.6 cm long, ridged and glabrous, bright red when fresh but fades on drying, with campanulate base and oblique apex having 6 triangular and acute teeth, each tooth being, 2-2.5 mm long, 6, very minute accessory sepals attached outside at the juncture of calyx tooth and deeper in colour, petals 6, attached inside the mouth of calyx-tube, shightly longer than calyx tooth, alternating with calyx-tooth pale rose or whitish, thin, papery, lanceolate, acuminate, stamens 12, united at the base, about 1.5-2 cm long, filament filiform, curved at the apex, keeping anthers inside calyx-tube , anthers dorsifixed brown, almost rounded or broadly ovate, carpels 2, united, ovary superior, style filiform, longe, than ovary and stamens, taste, astringent.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of sepal shows, single layered cuticularised epidermis, provided with both glandular and covering trichomes glandular trichomes, multicellular, long, consisting of a stalk and a globose, thin-walled, multicellular head, covering trichomes, unicellular thick-walled broad at base and pointed at the apex, ground tissue consisting of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells surface view of petal shows thin-walled, parenchymatous cells, provided with very few sparsely distributed covering trichomes, transverse section of filament shows, epidermis consisting of single layered tangentially elongated cells, covered with a very thick-cuticle, ground tissue consisting of thin walled parenchymatous cells with intercellular spaces, surrounding a central. vascular cylinder of spirally thickened vessels, transverse section of anther shows, single layered epidermis, covered with cuticle followed by several layers of thickened cells, surrounding both the pollen-sacs having numerous pollen grains, pollen grains roughly tetrahedral with three pores, measuring 12-16 μ approximately , central region consisting of thin-walled cells emboding vascular bundles.

Identity, Purity and Strength

Foreign matter :- Not more than 2 per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 10 per cent,

Acid-insoluble ash :- Not more than 1 per cent,

Alcohol-soluble extractive :- Not less than 7 per cent,

Water-soluble extractive :- Not less than 28 per cent,

Active Constituents

Tannin and glucoside.

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Katu, Kasaya

Guna :- Laghu

Virya :- Sita

Vipaka :- Katu

Karma :- Grahi, Visaghna, Garbhasthapana, Krminut, Sandhaniya.

Important Formulations

Brhat Gangadhara Churna

Therapeutic Uses

Atisara, Raktapitta, Trasna, Vrana, Visarpa

Dose

3-6 g. of drug in powder form