Kadujeera, Kalajeera, Krushnajiraka

Biological Source

Krushnajiraka consists of dried ripe fruits of Carum carvi Linn. (Family - Umbelliferae), a biennial herb, 30-90 cm high, cultivated as a cold season crop in plains of India and as summer crop in hilly areas of Kashmir, Kumaon, Garhwal and Chamba.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Asitajiraka

Assam :- Krisnjeera, Kalajira, Kaljira

Bengali :- Kala jira

English :- Black Caraway

Gujrati :- Shahjirun

Hindi :- Kalajira

Kannada :- Kari jeerige, Shahajeerige

Kashmiri :- Krihunzur

Malayalam :- Karunjiraka, Karinjeerakam

Marathi :- Shahira, Shahajira

Oriya :- Kalajira

Punjabi :- Zira Siyah, Kalajira

Tamil :- Karamjiragam, Shimai shambu

Telugu :- Nalla Jeelakarra

Urdu :- Zira Siyah, Kala Zira

Description

A) Macroscopic

Fruit, greenish-brown, slightly curved, elongated, mericarps, usually separate, free from the pedicel, carpophores, upto 7 mm long, 2 mm broad almost equally five sided, narrow, tapering to each end, arcuate, glabrous, brown with five very narrow, yellowish primary ridges' endosperm, orthospermous, odour and taste, aromatic and characteristic.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of fruit shows pericarp with outer epidermis of polygonal tabular cells with a thick outer wall and striated cuticle, trichomes, absent, vittae four dorsal, intercostal and two commissural extending the length of each mericarp, with an epithelium of brown cells and volatile oil in the cavity, mesocarp parenchymatous without reticulate thickening, costae five in each mericarp with vascular strand consisting of an inner group of small vessels and fibres and arched, outer group of pitted sclerenchyma with a small group of phloem on each lateral surface, on the outer margin of each vascular strand a small schizogenous canal extending into both stylopod and pedicel, inner epidermis of thin -walled, subrectangular cells, elongated tangentially each about 8-12μ wide and 40-100μ long, arranged parallel with one another, endosperm of thick-walled, cellulosic parenchyma, containing much fixed oil and numerous small aleurone grains upto 10 μ in diameter, each containing one or sometimes two micro-rosette crystals of calcium oxalate, carpophore, when present, passing at the apex to a raphe in each mericarp, and with a small strand of sclerenchyma, the sclereids of which continue into the stylopod.

Powder - Colour fawn to brown, epidermal cells of pericarp with striated cuticle, fragments of brown endothelium of vittae, parenchymatous cells of the mesocarp without reticulate thickening, rectangular, finely pitted sclereids of mesocarp, thickwalled polygonal parenchymatous cells of endosperm containing much fixed oil, numerous small aleurone grains containing micro-rosette crystals of calcium oxalate, trichomes, starch and parquetry layer absent, it contains no less than 2.5 per cent of volatile oil.

Identity, Purity and Strength

Foreign matter :- Not more than 2 per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 9 per cent,

Acid-insoluble ash :- Not more than 1.5 per cent,

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

Water-soluble extractive :- Not less than 12 per cent,

Volatile oil :- Not less than 3.5 per cent,

Active Constituents

Essential oils (carvone and carvacrol)

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Katu

Guna :- Laghu

Virya :- Usna

Vipaka :- Katu

Karma :- Sothahara, Caksusya, Dipana, Jvaraghna, Pacana, Rucya, Sangrahi.

Important Formulations

Jirakadyarista, Jirakadi Modaka

Therapeutic Uses

Agnimandya, Adhmana, Krmiroga, Jirnajvara, Grahaniroga

Dose

1-3 g of the drug in powder form