BOERHAAVIA DIFFUSA
(Spreading hog-wide)
Plant Introduction:
Boerhaavia is a large genus of widely distributed pubescent or, glandular tropical herbs of the four-o'clock family having small apetalous flowers and club-shaped ribbed fruit. The roots of some species are used as laxatives and vermifuge.
There are three kinds of this drug viz. white, red and blue varieties. Among them only white variety is known as effective. Although some body say that usefulness of all kinds of this plant is same. It is a dense branched vine having thick root. The tap root is as thick as a hard log. The height of the plant is 2-3 ft. It is soft and spreads over the groung. Lamina is elliptical and bifoliate, heavy, 1-inch long.
The plant is seen all over India; also in West Bengal-in the untilled lands in rainy season; generally the plant grows in cold places.
Name:
In Sanskrit-Punarnabha; Sothgni:
Bengali-Punar-naba, Sepune.
Hindi & Urdu-Beshkapur. Shibakpara, gadahpurna;
Marathi-Pantara Ghentuli;
Telegu-Atata samidi;
Tamil-Sukar Tekire;
Arabic-Hand kuki;
English -Spreading hog-wide;
Latin-Boerhaavia Diffusa.
Family: Nyctagineae-Re, or Nyctaginaceae.
Time of collection: Rainy season but also available in all seasons. Florescence and fructification take place in winter.
Pharamacological action: The bitter extract is anti-phlegmatic and antidote to poisons; cures cough, heart disease, colicky pain, Janudice, dropsy, flatulence. Red hog-wide is useful in the latter case.
Therapeutic actions:
It is a good agent for the treatment of strangury, indigestion; a good expectorant and is a remedy for asthma and dropsy of anaemic patients.
Chemical composition:
Punarnavine 0.01%, Alkaloid 6.5%, Pot. Nit, Sodium Sulphate, Chloride, Fatty acid (Dr. Ghosal, 1910).
Macroscopic structure:
The tap root is tuberous, cylinderical to narroly fusiform to conical or tapering and occasio-nally branched, light yellow, brown or brownish gray coloured. The transverse section shows a distinct region i. e. covek, bark and wood.
Pharmacological Action:
The active principle is diuretic chiefly acting on the kidneys increasing the heart beat and strengthen the heart, regulates the blood pressure and increases the R. B. ะก.
Physio Chemical Action: It is an alkaloid and oxygenate.
Opinions of different Physicians (symposium)
Dhannantari says it is a purgative, perspiring agent and useful is dropsy, colicky pain and anaemia; red variety is useful is dropsy, haemorrhage and bilious disorders.
Charak says-in many skin diseases, leprosy, ring worm, dropsy and kidney stone-the medicine is effective,
Shusruta-may be admininistered in dropsy, stone formation and disorders of the bowels.
Chakradutta-It antidotes the infection from snake-bite.
Bangasen-In quartan fever with chill and urticaria, it gives wonderful action.
According to Dr. L. M. Ghosal of medical College (1920), this drug is useful in fever, disorders of the lever, perinolitis. dropsy etc. because it contains Pot. Nit and Sodium Sulphate.
According to Dr. Chopra, Dr. R. N. Ghosh, Dr. S. Ghosh, this drug has been effectectively used when the tapping of water fails in dropsy and function of the kidney stops (Ind Mat Med. vol L viii P 203).
In 1898, Dr. Aghorenath Chakravorty, son of famous Homลopath Dr. Biharilal Chakravorty carried on experi ments on some of his patients suffering from cough, phlegm, giddiness, hemicrania. etc.
Lt Col R. N. Chopra says-the green plant possesses a very high percentage of water; the air dried plant had to be used for extraction. The plant was found to contain unusu ally large quantities of Potassiumi Nit. as the pressure of this salt may partly account for the diuretic action of the drug.
Pharmacological action:
Rai Bahadur L. M. Ghosal investigated the therapeutic properties of this drug from every point of view in 1920.
Liver:
Cerosis of the liver; experience of pain when pressed; hard breath.
Stool:
Diarrhoeic bowels, some times stiff, pale white; flatulence; rumble in the bowels; weakness.
Urine:
Turbid and scanty discharge; difficulty in passing urine; nephritis. The bladder becomes swollen; Yello-wish albuminous urine; itching after passing urine; loss of activation of kidney dropsy of the bladder
Female Rep. organ:
Menstrual discharge stops; dropsy: unconsciousness, weakness.
Breath:
Difficult breath; weakness and dyspnoea marked by dropsy.
Heart:
Weak and painful, palpitation; low blood pressure; sensation as if the breath would stop immediately; irregular pulse and hydropericardian; hypertrophy of heart etc.
Sleep
Restlessness and little sleep; irritation of the whole body. Swelling Of the eyes; dropsy of limbs and abdomen. The drug gives wonderful result in anaemia and pornitious anaemia.
Therapeutic actions:
1. This drug expels the accumulated water of dropsy.
2. Refreshes the kidneys and heart.
3. Can be used safely when R. B. C. of the blood reduces.
4. Soup of leaves can be fed to dropsical patients.
5. Removes the mitral or tricupid disorders of the heart.
Dose: 5 to 30/40 drops four or five times a day.