Kanchanar

Biological Source

Kanchanar consists of the dried, stem bark of Bauhinia variegata Blume (Family - Leguminosae) a medium sized tree occurring in sub-Himalayan tract extending eastwards to Assam, Eastern, Central and South India.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Kancanaraka

Assam :- Kancan, Kanchan

Bengali :- Kanchana, Rakta Kanchana

English :- Mountain Ebony

Gujrati :- Champakati, Kanchnar, Kachnar

Hindi :- Kachanar, Kanchanar, Kachnar

Kannada :- Keyumandar, Kanchavala

Kashmiri :- Kalad

Malayalam :- Chuvanna Mandharam

Marathi :- Kanchana, Raktakancana

Oriya :- Kachana, Kaniara

Punjabi :- Kanchnar

Tamil :- Sigappu mandarai, Sihappu mantarai

Telugu :- Deva Kanchanam

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

Description

A) Macroscopic

Bark, dark brown, sometimes with silvery patches, rough, compact, exfoliating in woody strips and scales, outer surface with small transverse and longitudinal cracks, internal surface white, taste, astringent

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of mature stem bark shows a wide stratified cork, outer cork composed of thin-wailed, slightly compressed, yellow brown cells followed by a number of layers of brown coloured cells, inner cork composed of transversely elongated orange brown cells, cork interrupted at certain places due to formation of rhytidoma, some secondary cortex composed or 15 or more rows or transversely elongated to circular, thin-walled, parenchymatous cells, some secondary cortex cells contain orange brown contents Groups of stone cells found scattered in this region occasionally arranged in 1-7 or more tangential rows, pericyclic fibres, thick-walled with narrow lumen, scattered in secondary cortex in singles or in groups, secondary phloem consists of sieve tubes, companion cells, phloem parenchyma and fibres traversed by funnel shaped medullary rays , phloem fibres arranged in radial rows throughout phloem region, prismatic and rhomboidal crystals or calcium, oxalate abundantly found in phloem and secondary cortex regions, very rarely found in cork cells, cluster crystals also present in secondary cortex and secondary phloem, crystal fibres also found in secondary phloem.

Powder :- Pinkish, under microscope showing abundant crystals of calcium oxalate, sclercids in singles or in groups with wide lumen, bits of fibres, cork and secondary cortex cells, containing coloured content, and numerous crystal fibres.

Identity, Purity and Strength

Foreign matter :- Not more than 2 per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 11 per cent,

Acid-insoluble ash :- Not more than 0.2 per cent,

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

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

Active Constituents

Tannins

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Kasaya

Guna :- Laghu, Ruksa

Virya :- Sita

Vipaka :- Katu

Karma :- Dipana, Grahi, Tridosahara, Gandavrddhihara

Important Formulations

Kanchanar Guggul, Kanchanar Powder

Therapeutic Uses

Apaci, Gandamala, Krmiroga, Vrana, Gudabhramsa

Dose

20-30 g of the drug for decoction.