HOLARRHENA ANTIDYSENTERICA
Plant Introduction.
It is a moderate tree of 20-25 ft high; leaves fall in the spring. Bark is 1/4 in thick, grayish, harsh with whitish medula. Leaves are ovate and 6-12 inch long (width 1 inch). Flowers are white in colour and have a mild scent. Fruits are covered with a pericarp, 16-18 inches long (1/5th inch wide) containing several seeds each of which has a white stain or hilum on the testa. Seeds are 11 inch in size baving wooly hairs. Two kinds of seeds are available in the market, viz. sweetish and bitter but the latter kind is supposed to be the best.
Grown places: Bengal, Assam, Madhyapradesh, Gujarat, South India Trivancore etc. It is a hearsay that Kurchi tree owes its origin to the drop of nectar dripped from the body of Hanuman while Indra (God) reanimated him by administering the same.
Name:
In Sanskrit-Kutaj, Girimallika, Batsak;
Bengali-Kurchi;
Hindi-Kauriya;
Gujarati-Pandakura;
Punjabi-Kawar; Oriya-uriya; Arabian-Tiwe;
Tamil-Velallei, Kooda Sappali:
English and Latin-Holerrhena Antidysente-rica.
It is also known as Wrightia Antidysenterica.
Family: Apocynасеас.
Medicinal use: Bark and seeds.
Physiological effect: Intestinal region.
Clinical use: Primary and chronic cases of the fallowing:
- The bark is useful in dysentery.
- Seeds-are very effective in fever, dysentery and diarrhoea.
Chemical composition:
The bark contains Potassium, Sodium, Calcium and Ferrous salts and a gum. Alkaloids are known as Kurchi-cin and conircine.
The seed contains fixed oil, Oleic acid. Besides, mucilage, dextrin glucose and alkaloids are present.
By deliberating the works on Kurchi, we find that-in 1858, Haines obtained a kind of alkaloid known as Conessine. In 1880, Dr. R. C. Dutta found Kurchicin from the seeds and received efficacious results by administering the alkaloid in patient suffering from chronic dysentery. In 1886, Ranaki, Kanga and Aiyar found Conessine (alkaloid) from the seed. In 1928, Dr. Ghosh obtained more alkaloids viz-Kurchi-cine and Kurchine. In 1932, Dr. Ghosh and Dr. Bose while carrying on researches in the Calcutta Tropical School of Medicine, proved that Kurchicine and Kurchine were pure alkaloids which had been approved by Dr. Haworth in 1932.
Dr. R. N. Chopra, Dr. R. N. Khory, Dr. K. L. Dey, Dr. R. C. Dutta etc. performed experiments on Kurchi. An invaluable action regarding Kurchi is known from the report of the first Indian committee of Pharmacists in which it which it was mentioned that the bark and the seeds were astringent, antidysenteric and anthelmintic. Dr. A. C. Khostogir
wrote about the antidysenteric power of this drug in the Indian Medical Gazette. Sir Walter Elliot described this drug as an infallible remedy for blood-dysentery.
Opinions of different physicians:
In the books wrote by Charak, Shusrut and Bhava-prakash-power of curing of several diseases of this particular drug has been mentioned. The drug is helpful in bleeding piles, blood-dysentery attended with fever etc too. According to the opinions of Indian Medical Association and many medical scientists, fixed oil in the seed, accounts for the func-tions of the drug. That is why it is effective in the dysentery or diarrhoeic dysentery. Chronic dysentery and blood dysen-tery are curable owing to presence of alkaloid, resin and gum. It is better than Emitine. They think that Emitine contains alkaline substance whereas alkaline and acidic juice both are prsent in Kurchi. Hence, action is more powerful.
According to Ayurveda, fresh bark of matured and fructiferous tree should be used. I have investigated its action on acute and chorinc dysenteric patients and considered the responses to have been fruitful. It may take little more time in case of chronic dysentery.
Symptoms
Head: Fretful mind; hestiness marked by anxiety.
Head: Painful and hot.
Heart: Weak and experience of pain time to time.
Eyes: Tears trickling down the cheeks.
Mouth: Dry tongue with a white coat.
Belly: Intermittent pain around the navel; painful excre-mental pressure; some times after taking food; frequent; pass of stool.
Urine: Normal.
stool: Pain in the rectum; hotness; pain persists even after passing stool; stool or faeces full of mucus; weakness; paralysing sensation.
Dose:
5-25 minims 4/5 times a day.
