Adathoda Vasica

 

 

 

 

 

English:                   Malabar nut                                                                

Botanical:                Adhatoda vasica                                                         

                                                                                                              

Common names:      Justicia adhatoda, Adulsa Arusa, Adathodai, Bakash, Adathoda, Adalodakam, Adusoge, Addasaramu                                                                                          

Family name:          Acanthaceae

It is also called Simha mukhi since the flowers of this plant are in the shape of lion head.

Vaidya mata: This plant is like mother to doctors. Kaphahari: Which balances Kapha in the body.

 

Description Of plant:      Dense shurb
Leaves : elliptic or elliptic lanceolate, accuminate
Flowers: In dense spikes, white, calyx deeply 5 lobed
Fruit : Four seeded capsule
Seeds: glabrous

Adhatoda is a medicinal plant of common occurrence in Kerala. Botanically, the plant is a profusely branching shrub growing up to a height of 1.5 metres. Two major species are important medicinally viz., Adhatoda vasica (Valiya adalodakam) and Adhatoda beddomei (Chittadalodakam or cheriya adalodakam). Chittadalodakam is the medicinally important species mostly seen in Kerala.  

Chemical constituents:   Vasicine, b-sitosterol, kaempferol, vasakin

Constituents  : A Volatile essentiol oil, fat resin, a bitter non volatile, alkaloid called 
 vasicine, an organicacid "ADOTHODIC ACID" The antiseptic properties of the leaves is due to the volatic princeple.
  Action    : Expectorant, diuretic, anti-spasmodic and alterative.

Parts used are : Leaves - primary source of medicine and are leaves are rich source of vitamin C. The leaves of the plant contain two major alkaloids called vasicine, and vasicinone 1,2.

¨      Roots

¨      Flowers

¨      Stem Bark

¨      fruits

3. Properties and Action According to Indigenous Medical Systems:

• Rasa: Bitter
• Vipaka: Spicy
• Veerya: Seetaveerya

Though the crop grows in a variety of climatic and soil conditions, alluvial soils are best suited for raising the crop. The plant is tolerant to shade but is susceptible to water logging. It can be cultivated either as a pure crop or as an intercrop in coconut and rubber plantations in the initial 3-4 years.

Adhatoda is propagated by tender stem cuttings. Stem cuttings of 15-20 cm long and 3-4 nodes are ideal for planting. It is better to root the cuttings in nursery before transplanting in the main field. Nursery preparation can be done in March-April. For this, the tender stem cuttings are planted in poly bags filled with farm yard manure, top soil and sand in the ratio 1:1:1. Cuttings will root readily and will be ready to transplant to main field after two months.

Rooted cuttings of adhatoda can be planted on mounds or on ridges. Plough and level the main field thoroughly and ridges or mounds are prepared 60 cm away from each other. With the commencement of rainfall, rooted cuttings are planted on the ridges with a plant to plant spacing of 30 cm. If grown on mounds, up to 5 cuttings may be planted on a single mound. In sloppy areas cuttings are planted directly by making pits with a sharp pole. Adequate care should be taken to prevent water logging as it may promote rotting.

4. Uses:

• The extraction of leaf is a good medicine for Asthma and cough.
• It is a good medicine to stop internal and external bleedings like bleeding gums, piles and peptic ulcers.
• It is a good ingredient in decoctions for all types of fever due to kapha and pitta doshas.
• It is expectorant, antispasmodic and good blood purifier.
• It speeds up the child birth.
• It has sedative properties
• There are different alkaloids present in adathoda and is used in the treatment of bronchitis,  rheumatism, etc. It is part of many Ayurvedic medicines.
• It is a special remedy for Pthisis or consumption
• An infusion of fresh pavatta leaves, two or three tablespoons mixed with one teaspoon of ginger juice and bee’s honey is known to be effective for the treatment of  coughs accompanied by a heavy chest.
• Its roots are known to be used as coffee powder for chronic bronchitis
• A poultice or the leaves is applied over fresh wounds, rheumatic joints and inflammatory swellings.
• A warm decoction of the leaves is reported to have used for scabies and other skin diseases, neuralgic pains and bleeding from the nose.
• Alkaloid fraction isolated from Adathoda vasica shows anti inflammatory activity.
•  Vasicinone, an alkaloid present in the leaves and roots of Adhatoda vasica (Acanthaceae) possesses     potent antiallergic activity in mice, rats and guinea pigs.
• Adathoda vasica extract exhibit anti tussive activity in anaesthetized guinea pigs and rabbits and in     unanaesthetized guinea pigs.
• Alkaloids from Adhatoda vasica shows pronounced protection against allergen-induced bronchial     obstruction in guinea pigs.
• Roots of Adathoda vasica L. is used in rheumatism, pneumonia and cough, while leaves are used as antiseptic, expectorant, antispasmodic, and demulcent.[ Muhammad Hamayun¹, Sumera Afzal² and Mir Ajab Khan^3, THNOPHARMACOLOGY, INDIGENOUS COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES OF SOME FREQUENTLY USED MEDICINAL PLANTS OF UTROR AND GABRAL, DISTRICT SWAT, PAKISTAN, African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines,bAfrican Ethnomedicines Network Vol. 3, Num. 2, 2006, pp. 57-73 ]
• It relieves breathlessness.
•  It is also prescribed commonly for local bleeding due to peptic ulcer, piles etc.
• ts local use gives relief in pyorrhoea and in bleeding gums.
• vasicine, and vasicinone, are shown to be having bronchodilator and antihistaminic effects. These alkaloids are said to exist in combination with an acid that has been named adhatodic acid.

a nutricious recipe

 

 

Cissus (Pirandai) Chutney

Ingredients

•  Asafotida:    a pinch
•  Black gram Dal:    One teaspoon
• Mustard:    One teaspoon
• Cissus (Bone vine or Pirandai) Tender stems:    8
• Oil to sauté
• Red chilies:    4 - 6 numbers
• Salt:    to taste
• Tamarind: small ball

Method

1. Select fresh and tender stems of Cissus. With a knife remove the hard veins.
2.  Keep the fleshy portions. Cut in to small pieces. heat oil. Add mustard and allow it to splutter. Add black gram Dal, red chilies and Asafotida and stir well. Add tamarind and sauté. Add salt. grind the ingredients into fine paste.

about Pirandai, called Veld grape, Veldt grape, Winged treebine in English

Cissus quadrangularis

Family : Vitaceae
Sanskrit Name : Asthisrinkhala, Chaturdhara, Vajralatha
Origin: Southern and eastern Africa, Arabia to India
Common names of Cissus quadrangularis:
Tamil : pirandai

English: Veld grape, Veldt grape, Winged treebine •

 

Succulent vine with tendrils, fleshy 3-lobed leaves and quandrangular 4-winged stem and grape-shaped leaves 2 inches long (5 cm). The flowers are also typical of the grape family are greenish white and come at the end of the summer. A good basket plant. A tendril climber with stout fleshy quadrangular stem. It is used to help heal broken bones. so call asthisamharaka (which avoids the destruction of the bones). Also properties have been attributed to treat osteoporosis, asthma and cough and the external hemorrhoids and Gonococcus.

Chemical Constituents and Components : Main chemical constituents are tetracyclic triterpenoids, onocer-7-ene-3alpha, 21 beta-diol and onocer-7-ene-3beta, 21 alpha-diol and two steriodal principles I and II, alpha-sitosterol, delta-amyrin

As a rich source of carotenoids, triterpenoids and ascorbic acid it has potential for medical effects, including "gastroprotective activity" in conjunction with NSAID therapy and in "lipid metabolism and oxidative stress" Cissus has been "discovered" by sports and nutritional supplement manufacturers and, mostly based on anecdotal evidence, many claims for "weight loss" and "muscle protective" effects are being made. issus is known to be an ancient medical plant, with optimal healing in white tissue areas of the body ( tendons, ligaments, etc. port supplement manufactures recently purified an extract of the plant to help increase the delivery of nutrients to soft tissue. It also helps heal fractures by increases in new bone growth, and has been shown to relieve arthritis and osteoarthritis when used topically as a balm.

The plant is mentioned in the ancient systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, and is useful for treatment of bloody diarrhoea, skin disorders, earache[ Geissler et al, 2002], haemorrhoids, irregular menstruation, and accelerates healing of bone fracture[ Attawish,2002]. Cissus quadrangularis formulation appears to be useful in the management of weight loss and metabolic syndrome. In Cameroon, the whole plant is used in oral re-hydration, while in Africa and Asia the leaf, stem, and root extracts are utilized in the management of various ailments.

Modern research has shed light on its ability to speed bone healing by showing it acts as a glucocorticoid antagonist (Chopra et al,1976;1975). Since anabolic/androgenic compounds are well known to act as antagonists to the glucocorticoid receptor as well as promote bone growth and fracture healing, it has been postulated that Cissus possesses anabolic and/or androgenic properties (Prasad,1963; Chopra et al, 1976). In addition to speeding the remodeling process of the healing bone, Cissus also leads to a much faster increase in bone tensile strength.
While the increased rate of bone healing may be of great significance to persons suffering from chronic diseases like osteoporosis (Shirwaikar et al,2003), the antiglucocorticoid properties of Cissus are likely of much more interest to the average bodybuilder or athlete, since endogenous glucocorticoids, particularly cortisol, are not only catabolic to bone, but catabolize muscle tissue as well. By exerting an anabolic, antiglucorticoid effect cissus helps preserve muscle tissue during times of physical and emotional stress.

Cissus is also rich in the vitamins/antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene. As analyzed, Cissus quadrangularis contained ascorbic acid 479 mg, and carotene 267 units per 100g of freshly prepared paste in addition to calcium oxalate (Chidambara Murthy, 2003).
           The typical recommended daily dosage of Cissus extract is between 100 and 500 mg, depending on the concentration of the extract and the severity of symptoms. For the powder of the dried plant, the Ayurvedic texts recommend a dosage of 3 to 6 grams to accelerate fracture healing. Safety studies in rats showed no toxic effects at dosages as high as 2000 mg/kg of body weight. So not only is Cissus efficacious, it is also quite safe, in either the dried powder form or the commercially available extract.

Cissus also possess analgesic properties on a mg per mg basis comparable to aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. Cissus quadrangularis constitutes one of the ingredients of an Ayurvedic preparation, `Laksha Gogglu', which has been proved to be highly effective in relieving pain, reduction of swelling and promoting the process of healing of the simple fractures as well as in curing the allied disorders associated with fractures (Panda,1990). The mechanism through which Cissus exerts its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties has not been well characterized. It may act centrally, but the anti-inflammatory features suggest that it acts by preventing the conversion of arachidonic acid to inflammatory prostaglandins.

Active Ingredient of extract of C.q : Ketosterones 1.5%, Ketosterones 2% & Ketosterones 2.5%

Action:
Ketosterones:
1. It acts as antagonists to the glucocorticoid receptor and promote good bone health.

2. It shows anabolic steroid properties for healing of fracture.
3. It increases intramuscular creatinine levels.
4. It blocks the muscle damaging effect of cortisol and leads to the formation of new muscles.
5. It shows significant inhibition in DPPH free radical formation, superoxide radical production and lipid peroxide production in erythrocytes.
6. It shows sedative effect on central nervous system.
7. It protects gastric mucosa against ulceration by its antisecretory and cytoprotective property.
8. It mobilizes fibroblast and chondroblasts to an injured tissue and enhances regeneration.

Curing Diseases : 1. It is mainly used in treatment of fractured bones, asthma and cardiac problems.
2. It is anthelmintic, digestive and analgesic.
3. It is useful in eye and ear diseases and in irregular menstruation.
4. It is useful in colic, leprosy, ulcers, tumours and skin diseases.
5. It is helpful in back and spine problems.

 

It is one of the very frequently used herb by traditional bone setters of India. It is also used for piles, asthma, digestive troubles, cough, and loss of appetite.Salt of pirandai can be used to cure ulcer.

Cissus quadrangularis, a plant that has been customarily used in the Indian subcontinent to hasten the process of healing in bone fractures, has been studied and exploited to synthesize calcite crystals (Ambarish, 2005). The plant extract serves as a rich source of calcium ions, which when reacted with CO2, leads to the formation of calcite crystals of highly irregular morphology indicating that bioorganic molecules present in the extract modulate.

           Traditional recipes for treatment of physical and mental ailments exist in all major ancient civilizations of the world. One such recipe popular in the Indian subcontinent involves the use of the extract of the plant Cissus quadrangularis. The stem and root extracts of this medicinal plant are known to possess antioxidant and antimicrobial activity (Murthy et al,2003) and are routinely used to accelerate the process of bonefracture healing (Udupa and Prasad,1964;Chopra et al, 1976).

References

 

1)   Chopra SS, Patel MR, Awadhiya RP. Studies of Cissus quadrangularis in experimental fracture repair : a histopathological study Indian J Med Res. 1976 Sep;64(9):1365-8

2)   Chopra SS, Patel MR, Gupta LP, Datta IC. Studies on Cissus quadrangularis in experimental fracture repair: effect on chemical parameters in blood Indian J Med Res. 1975 Jun;63(6):824-8.

3)    PRASAD GC, UDUPA KN. EFFECT OF CISSUS QUADRANGULARIS ON THE HEALING OF CORTISONE TREATED FRACTURES. Indian J Med Res. 1963 Jul;51:667-76.

4)   Shirwaikar A, Khan S, Malini S. Antiosteoporotic effect of ethanol extract of Cissus quadrangularis Linn. on ovariectomized rat. J Ethnopharmacol. 2003 Dec;89(2-3):245-50.

5)   Combaret L, Taillandier D, Dardevet D, Bechet D, Ralliere C, Claustre A, Grizard J, Attaix D Glucocorticoids regulate mRNA levels for subunits of the 19 S regulatory complex of the 26 S proteasome in fast-twitch skeletal muscles. Biochem J. 2004 Feb 15;378(Pt 1):239-46.

6)   Chidambara Murthy KN, Vanitha A, Mahadeva Swamy M, Ravishankar GA. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Cissus quadrangularis L. J Med Food. 2003 Summer;6(2):99-105.

7)   Panda, J Res Ayurv Siddha, 1990, 11, 7

8)   Ambarish Sanyal1, Absar Ahmad2 and Murali Sastry1,3, Calcite growth in Cissus quadrangularis plant extract, a traditional Indian bone-healing aid,RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 89, NO. 10, 25 NOVEMBER 2005 1742.

9)    Udupa, K. N. and Prasad, G. C., Further studies on the effect of

Cissus quadrangularis in accelerating fracture healing. Indian J.

Med. Res., 1964, 52, 26–35.

10. Chopra, S. S., Patel, M. R. and Awadhiya, R. P., Studies of Cissus

quadrangularis in experimental fracture repair: a histopathological

study. Indian J. Med. Res., 1976, 64, 1365–1368.

11.Murthy, K. N. C., Vanitha, A., Swami, M. M. and Ravishankar, G.

A., Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Cissus quadrangularis

L. J. Med. Food, 2003, 6, 99–105

12.Kashikar ND, George I. Antibacterial activity of Cissus quadrangularis Linn. Indian J Pharm Sci 2006;68:245-7

Teppner, H., Fritschiana , 2003, 39, 23.       

13. Attawish, A., Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol. , 2002, 24, 39.

14. Geissler, P.W., Harris, S.A., Prince, R.J., Olsen, A., Odhiambo, R.A., Oketch-Rabah, H., Madiega, P.A., Anderson, A. and Molgard, P., J. Ethnopharmacol. , 2002, 83, 39.