Kutaj, Kudasaal, Kuda, Kurchi

Biological Source

Kutaja consists of dried stem bark of Holarrhena antidysenterica (Roth) A. DC. (Family - Apocynaceae) a small to medium sized tree, found throughout India, drug collected from 8-12 years old tree during the middle of rainy season (July to September) and again at the end of winter season by hewing and peeling and separated from attached wood.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Kalinga, Sakra, Vatsaka

Assam :- Dudhkuri

Bengali :- Kurchi

English :- Ester tree, Conessi bark

Gujrati :- Kuda, Kadachhal, Kudo

Hindi :- Kurchi, Kuraiya

Kannada :- Kodasige, Halagattigida, Halagatti Mara

Kashmiri :- Kogad

Malayalam :- Kutakappala

Marathi :- Pandhra Kuda

Oriya :- Kurei, Keruan

Punjabi :- Kurasukk, Kura

Tamil :- Kudasapalai

Telugu :- Kodisapala, Palakodisa

Urdu :- Kurchi

Description

A) Macroscopic

Small recurved pieces of varying sizes and thickness, outer surface buff to brownish longitudinally wrinkled and bearing horizontal lenticels, inner surface brownish, rough and scaly fracture short and granular, taste, acrid and bitter.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of dried stem bark shows cork consisting of 4-12 rows of tangentially elongated cells, radial 15- 45 μ tangential 30-60 μ cork cambium consists of a row of thin walled tangentially elongated cells, secondary cortex usually wide, parenchymatous, interspersed with strands of stone cells, stone cell rectangular to oval, with numerous pits often containing prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate, non-lignified pericyclic fibres upto 52 mm thick, present in bark, secondary phloem wide consisting of sieve-tubes, companion cells, phloem parenchyma and stone cells, stone cells arranged in tangential rows in concentric manner associated with crystal sheath containing prisms of calcium oxalate, medullary rays mostly bi or triseriate rarely uniseriate becoming wide toward, outer part and consist of thin-walled, radially elongated, parenchymatous cells, medullary ray cells near stone cells become sclerosed.

Identity, Purity and Strength

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

Foreign matter :- Not more than 2 per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 7 per cent,

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

Alcohol-soluble extractive :- Not less than 18 per cent,

ASSAY

Assay - Kutaja contains not less than 2 per cent of total alkloids when assayed by the following method :-

weigh accurately about 5 g in powder (No. 85 seive) and moisten with 10 ml of an Alcohol-chloroform mixture (1 :3) containing 2 per cent of Ammonia solution for 15 minutes. Pack the mixture in a small glass percolator surrounded by a jacket of hot water kept at 50°. Macerate with more of the alkaline Alcohol-chloroform mixture for an hour and collect 25 ml of percolate in a receiver containing 1 g of Oxalic acid dissolved in 5 ml of alcohol. Stop the percolation add l0 ml of the alcohol chloroform mixture containing 1 per cent w/v of Sodium Hydroxide and macerate for fifteen minutes. Continue the percolation adding further quantities of the alcohol chloroform mixture until the alkaloids are completely extracted. Mix the percolate well and extract by shaking with five 20 ml portions of 2 N Hydrochloric acid. Combine the acid extracts and make alkaline with dilute Ammonia Solution. Extract with four 10 ml portions of Chloroform, add 1 ml of 0.5 N Sodium Hydroxide, and extract again with Chloroform. Wash each Chloroform extract with the same two 10 ml portions of water contained in different separators. Combine the Chloroform extracts, add 20 ml of O.1N Sulphuric Acid and shake well for 5 Minutes. Transfer the acid Liquid to a conical flask, wash the Chloroform extract with two 20 ml portions of water and add the washing to the acid liquid in the conical flask. Titrate the excess of acid with 0.1N Sodium Hydroxide using the mixed 3 indicator. Each ml of 0.1N Sulphuric Acid is equivalent to 0.01657g of total alkaloids of Kutaja.

Active Constituents

Conessine and related alkaloids

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Tikta, Kasaya

Guna :- Laghu, Ruksa

Virya :- Sita

Vipaka :- Katu

Karma :- Dipana, Sangrahi, Kaphapittasamaka

Important Formulations

Kutajarishta, Kutajavaleha, Kutajaghana Vati

Therapeutic Uses

Arsa, Atisara, Kustha, Pravahika, Trsna, Jvaratisara

Dose

20-30 g of the drug for decoction