dhanvayasa :

Dhanvayasah consists of dried whole plant of Fagonia cretica Linn. syn. F. arabica Linn., F. bruguieri DC. (Fam. Zygophyllaceae), a small spiny under shrub with stiff, more or less prostrate branches found in north-west India and Deccan.

Taxonomical Classification

Family: Zygophyllaceae

VERNACULAR NAMES

Sanskrit: dhanvayasa, duralabha, samudranta, rodini, gandhari, kacchura, kashaya, harivagraha, marudbhava, duramula, tamramulika, danvayavasaka, tamramuli dhanvayavasaka, yasaka, duralambha
English: Khorasan thorn
Hindi: Damahan, Dhamaasa, Hinguaa, Dhanhare
Telugu: Chittigava, Gilaregati
Bengali: Duralabha
Marathi: Dhamaasaa
Gujarathi: Dhamaaso
Tamil: Tulganari
Malayalam: Kodittuva
Punjabi: Dama, Dhamah, Dhamaha

Synonyms

Synonyms in Ayurveda: dhanvayasa, duralabha, samudranta, rodini, gandhari, kacchura, kashaya, harivagraha, marudbhava, duramula, tamramulika, danvayavasaka, tamramuli dhanvayavasaka, yasaka, duralambha

Phytochemistry:

Alkaloids (Harmine); amino acids (alanine, glycine, leucine, arginine isoleucine, lysine, phenylalanine, proline, tyrosine and valline); terpenoids of oleanane group.

PHARMACOLOGY:

IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS

1. Duralabhadi Kvatha,

2. Duralabhadi Kashaya,

3. Rasnadi Kvatha

4. Rasnadi curna

5. Tiktaka Ghrta,

6. Usirsava,

7. Kantakaryavaleha,

8. Mahapancagavya Ghrta,

9. Dasamularishta,

10. Punarnavasava

Dosage:

5-10 g powder,

40-80 ml phanta.

Morphology:

Root - Tap root externally brownish green, rough, with longitudinal striations, core yellowish-green; fracture, fibrous.

Stem - Stem pieces 0.5 to 1.5 cm thick, of variable lengths; young green, mature brown; spiny, two pairs of spines present at each node, spines sharp, slender, 1.5 to 2 cm in length; external surface of stem green, whitish brown when dry, striated; transversely smoothened surface showing a thin bark and prominent wood, bark peeling from stem; fracture, short.

Leaf - Small, subsessile, linear, oblong, leaflets entire, green or blackish brown, 0.5 to 1.5 cm in length and 0.05 to 0.1 cm in width, without any prominent midrib region projected above the level of lamina.

Flower - Flowers small, pale rose or purple, pedicels slender, 6 to 12 mm long; sepals 3 to 4 mm long, ovate, aristate; petals twice as long as the sepals, spathulate, claw long; ovary hairy, style tapering.

Fruit - Pentagonous schizocarp, composed of five compressed, two valved cocci.

Histology:

Root - T.S. shows outermost cork represented by 4 or 5 layers of small, narrow, tangentially elongated cells; phelloderm composed of 6 to 10 layers of somewhat tangentially elongated, thin walled parenchymatous cells, some cells having rhomboid crystals of calcium oxalate measuring 10 to 15 µ in length and 8 to 10 µ in width; outer part of secondary phloem characterised by the presence of abundant, but small patches of 2 or 3 thick walled phloem fibres; wood composed of vessels, xylem fibres and traversed by 1 to 3 seriate medullary rays; vessels arranged in singles or doubles; fibres long, thick walled with tapering ends and measuring upto 500 µ in length and about 25 µ in width.

Stem - T.S. shows more or less circular outline; single layered epidermis with thick cuticle; unicellular trichomes occasionally present; cortex consisting of 7 to 10 layers of parenchymatous cells showing large patches of fibres; sclereids with narrow lumen occurring singly or in groups in the cortex, measuring upto 50 µ in diam.; several cortical cells contain tannins; secondary phloem consisting of thin walled cells; vascular cambium composed of 3 to 4 layers of thin walled tangentially elongated cells; secondary xylem composed of fibres, tracheids, vessels, xylem parenchyma; fibres long, thick walled with tapering ends and measuring 260 to 950 µ in length and upto 20 µ in width; medullary rays mostly uniseriate or sometimes biseriate; pith composed of large thin walled parenchymatous cells, some cells containing tannins; rhomboid crystals measuring 18 to 30 µ in length and 12 to 20 µ in width present in cortex and pith.

Leaf - Isobilateral; single layered epidermis consisting of mostly tangentially elongated cells covered with thick cuticle. In surface view both upper and lower epidermii show anomocytic type of stomata, epidermal cells polygonal in shape; 2 or 3 layered palisade cells present on both the sides, adjacent to the epidermis; vascular bundles show xylem towards lower side and phloem towards upper side; sclerenchyma tissue occur as a bundle cap just above the phloem; small lateral vascular bundles also present in lamina; vein-islet number 11 to14; stomatal index 16 to 17 on lower epidermis and 5 to 7 on upper epidermis; palisade ratio 2 or 3 on upper epidermis and 2 to 4 on lower epidermis.

Therapeutic Uses:

Daha,

Grahani,

Gulma,

Jvara,

Kasa,

Kustha,

Prameha,

Raktapitta,

Vatarakta,

Visarpa,

Atisara,

Vishamajvara,

Trishna

Moha,

Murccha,

Madaroga,

Raktavikara,

Bhrama,

Chardi,

Mutrghata.

KEY WORDS: dhanvayasa, Fagonia cretica Linn.

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