Lodhra, Lodh

Biological Source

Lodhra consists of dried stem bark of Symplocos racemosa Roxb. (Family - Symplocaceae) an evergreen tree, 6-8.5 m tall, found abundantly in plains and lower hills throughout India.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Rodhra, Paittka Lodhra, Sabara Lodhra, Tirita

Assam :- Mugam

Bengali :- Lodha, Lodhra

English :- Symplocos bark

Gujrati :- Lodhaz

Hindi :- Lodha

Kannada :- Lodhra

Kashmiri :- Kath

Malayalam :- Pachotti

Marathi :- Lodha, Lodhra

Oriya :- ----------------

Punjabi :- Lodhar

Tamil :- Vellilathi, Vellilothram

Telugu :- Lodhuga

Urdu :- Lodh, Lodhpathani

Description

A) Macroscopic

Mature stem bark occurs in channelled or curved pieces, few fiat pieces also occur in thickness upto 1cm, outer surface uneven and rough due to fissures and cracks, grayish brown to grey externally, pale to whitish-brown internally, fracture short and granular in cortical region and somewhat fibrous in inner region, taste, astringent and feebly bitter.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of mature bark shows a wide cork of thin-walled, rectangular cells arranged in radial rows, cork cambium 1-3 layered, secondary cortex consists of thin-walled, oval and tangentially elongated parenchymatous cells towards outer side and rounded cells towards inner side, a number of stone cells, in singles or in groups present, scattered throughout the region having highly thickened walls with distinct pits, prismatic and cluster crystals of calcium oxalate, and starch grains, mostly simple present in a number of cortical cells, secondary phloem wide consisting of sieve elements, phloem parenchyma, phloem fibres and stone cells, phloem parenchyama thin walled, oval to rectangular, containing prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate scattered in phloem parenchyma, phloem fibres lignified and present in singles or in groups, crystals not present in fibres, isolated fibres spindle shaped with pointed ends, groups of stone cells as rounded patches distributed throughout phloem region, medullary rays uni to multiseriate consisting of rectangular cells having brown colouring matter in some cells, broader medullary rays dialating towards outer phloem region, a number of phloem cells also contain starch grains, mostly arranged in groups, rarely solitary, simple and rounded.

Powder - Greyish-brown, under microscope shows fragments of cork, stone cells, fibres, prismatic and cluster crystals of calcium oxalate and starch grains.

Identity, Purity and Strength

Foreign matter :- Not more than Nil per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 12 per cent,

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

Alcohol-soluble extractive :- Not less than 9 per cent,

Water-soluble extractive :- Not less than 15 per cent,

Active Constituents

Alkaloids ( Loturine and Colloturine ) and red colouring matter

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Kasaya

Guna :- Laghu

Virya :- Sita

Vipaka :- Katu

Karma :- Caksusya, Grahi, Kaphapittanut

Important Formulations

Lodharasava (Rodhrasava ), Pushanuga Churna, Brhat Gangadhara Churna

Therapeutic Uses

Sotha, Atisara, Netraroga, Raktapitta, Pradara

Dose

3-5 g of the drug in powder form

20-30 g of the drug in for decoction