Justicia adhatoda
| Justicia adhatoda | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Angiosperms |
| Class: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Justicia |
| Species: | J. adhatoda |
| Binomial name | |
| Justicia adhatoda L. |
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Justicia adhatoda L. (Adulsa, Malabar Nut); syn. Adhatoda vasica Nees, (Kannada: Aadumuttada Soppu)(Malayalam: ആടലോടകം ("aadalodakam") , Sanskrit: अडुसा adusa, aruha, अरुष arusha, others) is a medicinal plant native to Asia.
The plant grows wild in abundance all over Nepal, India, and the Pothohar region of Pakistan, particularly in the Pharwala area.
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[edit] Botanical description
This is a shrub with lance-shaped leaves 10 to 15 centimeters in length by four wide. They are oppositely arranged, smooth-edged, and borne on short petioles. When dry they are of a dull brownish-green colour. They are bitter-tasting. When a leaf is cleared with chloral hydrate and examined microscopically the oval stomata can be seen. They are surrounded by two crescent-shaped cells at right angles to the ostiole. The epidermis bears simple one- to three-celled warty hairs, and small glandular hairs. Cystoliths occur beneath the epidermis of the underside of the blade.
[edit] Chemical composition
Several alkaloids are present in the leaves. The most important is vasicine, a quinazoline alkaloid responsible for the medicinal activity of the plant.[citation needed] The vasicine yield of the herbage has been measured as 0.541 to 1.1% by dry weight.
[edit] Pharmacology
This shrub has a number of traditional medicinal uses.[citation needed]
Vasicine, the active compound, has been compared to theophylline both in vitro and in vivo. Another, vasicinone, showed bronchodilatory activity in vitro but bronchoconstrictory activity in vivo; it is probably biotransformed in vivo, causing bronchoconstriction.[citation needed] Both the alkaloids in combination (1:1) showed pronounced bronchodilatory activity in vivo and in vitro. Vasicine also exhibited strong respiratory stimulant activity, moderate hypotensive activity and cardiac-depressant effect; vasicinone was devoid of these activities. The cardiac-depressant effect was significantly reduced when a mixture of vasicine and vasicinone was used. Vasicinone (dl-form) showed no effect on the isolated heart, but probably the l-form is a weak cardiac stimulant. Clinical trials of a commercial drug containing vasicinone and vasicinone have not revealed any side effects while treating bronchial asthma.[1][verification needed]
[edit] Names
It is also called Adhatoda vasika, which is derived from a former scientific name. It has different names in different Indian languages.[2]
- Malayalam: Atalotakam (ആടലോടകം)
- Sanskrit: Sinhapuri, Vasaka (वसाका)
- Hindi: Adosa, Arusha, Rus, Bansa
- Bengali: Adulsa, Bakash,Vasok
- Gujarati: Adulso, Aduraspee, Bansa (અરડૂસી)
- Kannada: Adusogae
- Marathi: Adulsa, Adusa (अडुळसा)
- Persian: Bansa
- Punjabi: Bhekkar
- Tamil: Adathodai
- Telugu: Adamkabu, Adampaka, Addasaram (అడ్డసరం)
[edit] References
- ^ Roja G., Vikrant B.H., Sandur S.K., Sharma A., Pushpa K.K. "Accumulation of vasicine and vasicinone in tissue cultures of Adhatoda vasica and evaluation of the free radical-scavenging activities of the various crude extracts" Food Chemistry 2011 126:3 (1033-1038)
- ^ Dr. K. M. Nadkarni's Indian Materia Medica, Volume 1, Edited by A. K. Nadkarni, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1976, pp. 40.
[edit] External links
- MONOGRAPH BY Dr AJAY PADMAWAR
- Flora of Nepal: Justicia adhatoda
- Caldecott, Todd (2006). Ayurveda: The Divine Science of Life. Elsevier/Mosby. ISBN 0723434107. Contains a detailed monograph on Justicia adhatoda syn. Adhatoda vasica (Vasa; Vasaka), as well as a discussion of health benefits and usage in clinical practice. Available online at http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/342-vasaka
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