Jatamansi, Baalchad

Biological Source

Jatamansi consists of dried rhizome of Nardostachys jatamansi DC. (Family - Valerianaceae) , an errect perennial herb, 10-60 cm high growing at an altitude of 3000-5000 m on the sub-alpine Himalayan tracts.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Mamsi, Jaa, Jaila

Assam :- Jatamansi, Jatamangshi

Bengali :- Jatamamsi

English :- Nardus root

Gujrati :- Baalchad, Kalichad

Hindi :- Balchara

Kannada :- Bhootajata, Ganagila maste

Kashmiri :- Bhutijata

Malayalam :- Manchi, Jatamanchi

Marathi :- Jatamansi

Oriya :- Jatamansi

Punjabi :- Billilotan, Balchhar, Chharguddi

Tamil :- Jatamanji

Telugu :- Jatamams

Urdu :- Sumbul-ut-teeb

Description

A) Macroscopic

Dried rhizome dark brown, 2.5-7.5 cm long, cylindrical, covered with reddishbrown fibres forming a net work, which are skeletons of sheathing leaf bases, fracture, brittle, internal colour reddish-brown, colour, strongly aromatic, taste, acrid, slightly bitter.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of rhizome shows cork consisting of 2-5 layers of cells filled with oil globules, cortex characterised by the presence of schizogenous canals, phloem in form of patches of small cells, cambium ring distinct and continuous, xylem consists of vessles, scattered individually or in rows of two or three vessels, with scalariform thickening, older rhizomes show one or more stellate shaped rings of interxylary and medullary cork, completely or incompletely separating the rhizome into four to nine vascular strands by joining outer cork, each separated strand encircled by a few layers of cork cell consisting of an outer cortex zone followed by two or more functional vascular bundles, tissues in between the strands usually non-functional except for the cork cells which act as storage organ for oil globule.

Identity, Purity and Strength

Identification :- Shake about 2 g of the powder with 5 ml of Alcohol (80 per cent) for ten minutes and filter, Place one drop of the filtrate on a filter paper, dry and examine under ultra-violet light, a bright, bluish-white fluorescene is visible.

Identity, Purity and Strength

Foreign matter :- Not more than 5 per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 9 per cent,

Acid-insoluble ash :- Not more than 5 per cent,

Alcohol-soluble extractive :- Not less than 2 per cent,

Water-soluble extractive :- Not less than 5 per cent,

Volatile oil :- Not less than 0.1 per cent,

Active Constituents

Essential oil and resinuous matter.

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Tikta, Kasaya

Guna :- Laghu

Virya :- Sita

Vipaka :- Katu

Karm a :- Medhya, Tridosanut, Varnya, Nidrajanana, Kushaghna.

Important Formulations

Jatamansi ghan, Jatamansi oil, Jatamamsyarka

Therapeutic Uses

Daha, Kustha, Visarpa, Manasaroga, Anidra

Dose

2-3 g of the drug in powder form.

5-10 g of the drug for decoction.