Gokharu, Gokshur, Goksura

Biological Source

Goksura consists of dried, ripe, entire fruit of Tribulus terrestris Linn. (Family - Zygopyllaceae), an annual, rarely pernnial common weed of the pasture lands, road sides and other waste places, chiefly in hot, dry and sandy regions, grows throughout India as prostrate herb and upto 3,000 m in Kashmir.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Svadamstra, Goksuraka, Traikanaka, Trikatna.

Assam :- Gokhurkata, Gokshura

Bengali :- Gokhri, Gokshura

English :- Caltrops fruit

Gujrati :- Bethagokharu, Mithagokhru, Nanagokharu

Hindi :- Gokhru

Kannada :- Neggilamullu, Neggilu, Sannaneggilu

Kashmiri :- Pakhda, Michikand

Malayalam :- Nerinjil

Marathi :- Gokharu, Sarate

Oriya :- Gokhyura, Gukhura

Punjabi :- Bhakhra, Gokhru

Tamil :- Nerinjil, Nerunjil

Telugu :- Palleru Kaya

Urdu :- Khar-e-Khasak Khurd

Description

A) Macroscopic

Fruit stalked, light or greenish yellow, five ribbed or angled, more or less spherical in structure and covered with short stiff or pubescent hairs, 1 cm in diameter with five pairs, of prominent short stiff spines, pointed downwards, about 0.5 cm in length, tips of spines almost meet in pairs whole together forming pentagonal framework around fruit, ripe fruit separates into five segment, of each cocci and each appears as single-fruit, each coccus semi-lunar or plano-convex in structure one chambered, armed with a pair of spines, starting from its middle, containing four or more seeds, taste, slightly astringent.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of fruit shows small epidermal cells of each coccus rectangular, unicellular trichomes in abundance, mesocarp 6-10 layers of large parenchymatous cells, rosette of calcium oxalate crystals abundantly present, mesocarp followed by 3-4 compact layers of small cells containing prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate.

Identity, Purity and Strength

Foreign matter :- Not more than 1 per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 15 per cent,

Acid-insoluble ash :- Not more than 2 per cent,

Alcohol-soluble extractive :- Not less than 6 per cent,

Water-soluble extractive :- Not less than 10 per cent,

Active Constituents

Potassium nitrate, sterols, sapogenin with pyroketone ring (diosgenin), gitogenin and hecogenins.

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Madhura

Guna :- Guru, Snigdha

Virya :- Sita

Vipaka :- Madhura

Karma :- Brmhana, Vatanut, Vrsya, Asmarihara, Vastisodhana

Important Formulations

Goksuradi Guggulu, Traikanaka Ghrta, Draksadi Churna.

Therapeutic Uses

Sularoga, Arsa, Svasa, Daurbalya, Hydroga, Kasa, Mutrakrcchra, Asmari, Prameha

Dose

3-6 g of the drug in powder form.

20-30 g of the drug for decoction.