Ayurveda : Ajagandhe

Ajagandhe

Ajagandhe consists of the seeds of Cleome gynandra Linn. Syn. Gynandropsis gynandra (Linn.) Briquet (Fam. Capparidaceae); a strong smelling, somewhat foetid herb, 0.6 – 1 m high, found abundantly throughout warmer parts of India.

 Synonyms

Sanskrit : Pasugandh¡

Assamese : Bhutmulla

Bengali : Hurhuria, Shulte

English : Dog Mustard

Gujrati : Talvani, Dhelitalavan

Hindi : Hulhul, Hurhur, Kavalia

Kannada : Naram bele Soppu, Nayeetulasi

Kashmiri : Gandi Buti

Malayalam : Atunari vela

Marathi : Tilvan, Bhatvan, Mabli, Tilavana, Tilvant

Oriya : Anasorisia, anasorisa

Punjabi : Bugra

Tamil : Nal valai, Nal velai

Telugu : Vaminta, Vayinta

Description

a) Macroscopic : Seeds, small, 1-2 mm in diameter, kidney shaped, surface rough, dark brown or black.

b) Microscopic : Dark brown, oily; under microscope shows a number of fragments of epidermis of testa consisting of thin-walled, polygonal cells; groups of cells, resembling like stone cells, reddish-brown with non-lignified walls; a large number of oval, rounded or irregularly shaped protein bodies; starch and crystals absent.

 Identity, purity and strength

Foreign matter                                                          Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix                          2.2.2.

Total Ash                                                                    Not more than 7 per cent, Appendix                          2.2.3.

Acid-insoluble ash                                                  Not more than 0.4 per cent, Appendix                       2.2.4.

Alcohol-soluble extractive                                Not less than 16 per cent, Appendix                          2.2.6.

Water-soluble extractive                                    Not less than 7 per cent, Appendix                            2.2.7.

 Constituents – Fixed oil, essential oil and oleoresin.

 Properties and action

Rasa:   Katu

Guna : Laghu, Ruska

Virya : sita

Vipaka : Katu

Karma : sulaghani, Dipana, Hrdya, Pittala, Vatahara

important formulations – Narayana Churna

therapeutic uses – Gulma, Ashtila, karm roga, kandu, Karna roga.

Dose – 1-3 g of the drug in powder form.