Vadsaal, Bad, Bargad

Biological Source

Bad (Nyagrodha) consists of dried mature stem bark of Ficus bengalensis Linn. (Family - Moraceae) , a large branching tree with numerous aerial roots occurring all over India.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Vata

Assam :- Vat, Ahat, Vatgach

Bengali :- Bot

English :- Banyan tree

Gujrati :- Vad, Vadalo

Hindi :- Badra, Bargad, Bada

Kannada :- Aala, Aladamara, Vata

Kashmiri :- Bad

Malayalam :- Peraal

Marathi :- Vael

Oriya :- Bata, Bara

Punjabi :- Bhaur

Tamil :- Aalamaram, Aalam

Telugu :- Marri

Urdu :- Bargad, Bad

Description

A) Macroscopic

Mature stern bark grey with thin, closely adhered ashy white, light bluish-green or grey patches, bark fiat or slightly curve, thickness varies with age of tree : externally rough due to presence of horizontal furrows and lenticels, mostly circular and prominent, fracture short in outer two thirds of bark while inner portion shows a fibrous fracture taste, astringent.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of mature bark shows compressed cork tissue and dead elements of secondary cortex consisting of mostly stone cells and thin-walled, compressed elements of cortex cork cells rectangular, thick-walled and containing brownish content, secondary cortex wide, forming more than half of thickness of bark, composed of large groups of stone cells and parenchymatous cells, stone cells vary in shape, parenchymatous cells thin-walled and somewhat cubical to oval few in number and occur between groups of stone cells, some of cells contain prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate, starch grains and tannin, secondary phloem composed of a few sieve elements parenchyma, fibres, stone cells and latex tube alternating with medullary rays, sieve elements compressed in .outer region of bark while intact m inner region, few thick-walled phloem parenchyma occurring in between patches of phloem fibres and stone cells, stone cells similar to those present in secondary cortex, some phloem cells contain prismatic calcium oxalate crystals also, present in fibres forming crystal fibres, medullary rays 2-5 seriate, composed of thick-walled, circular to oval cells few cells also converted into stone cells and some have pitted walls, also containing plenty of starch grains, mostly rounded, rarely oval or semi-lunar in shape, simple as well as compound type, compound starch grains consist of 2-3 components, cambium composed of a few layers of small, rectangular, thin-walled cells.

Identity, Purity and Strength

Foreign matter :- Not more than 2 per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 8 per cent,

Acid-insoluble ash :- Not more than 3 per cent,

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

Water-soluble extractive :- Not less than 8 per cent,

Active Constituents

Tannins, glycosides and flavonoids

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Kasaya

Guna :- Guru, Ruksa

Virya :- Sita

Vipaka :- Katu

Karma :- Dahaghna, Mutrasangrahaniya, Stambhana, Varnya, Vranapaha, Kaphapittajita, Yonidosahrt.

Important Formulations

Nyagrodhadi Churna, Nyagrodhadi Kwatha Chruna

Therapeutic Uses

Daha, Prameha, Raktapitta, Trsna, Visarpa, Vrana, Yonidosa

Dose

3-6 g of the drug in powder form