Adulteration observed in Saraja Exudate - A white resin of medicinal value

As we know that resins are amorphous products of a complex nature. These are amorphous mixtures of essential oils, oxygenated products of terpene, and carboxylic acids found as exudations from the trunk of various trees. They are transparent or translucent solids, semi-solids, or liquid substances containing a large number of carbon atoms. Most of the resins are heavier than water. They are insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, volatile oils, fixed oils, chloral hydrate, and non-polar organic solvents like benzene or ether. They are hard, electrically non-conductive, and combustible masses.  They are usually formed in schizogenous or schizolysigenous cavities or ducts as end products of metabolism.

Resin is a hydrocarbon secretion of many coniferous, dipterocarpous and so many plants of various genera. Resins are valued for their chemical constituents and use, such as varnishes and adhesives, as an important source of raw materials for organic synthesis, or for incense and perfume. Fossilized resins are the source of amber. Resins are also material in nail polish.  There is no consensus on why plants secrete resins. However, resins consist primarily of secondary metabolites or compounds that apparently play no role in the primary physiology of a plant. While some scientists view resins only as waste products, their protective benefits to the plant are widely documented. Many resinous products are not formed by the plant itself unless and until purposeful and methodical injuries in the shape of incisions are made on them and the secretions or plant exudates are tapped carefully, such as Balsam of Tolu.

Likewise, Saraja exudates is a naturally occurring resin from the plant Viteria india, family Dipterocarpaceae. This resin is called as Kahruba (Hindi), Vellai kungilium (Tamil), and Sarja (Sanskrit). This is a very good source of traditional medicine. This may be due to high demand or cost, nowadays, it had been found adulterated in the market either with some other resins or artificially made resin of similar appearances. It is found very much difficult to identify the material with short terms while procuring the same in bulk from the market.

However, based on my experiences, I would like to provide some techniques by which a buyer can easily identify the material before its purchase. The original Saraja or Kahruba or vellai kungilium looks rough, irregular, solid, brittle masses, breaking into angular pieces, light yellow to pale yellow in color with a fragrant odor and characteristic taste. It shows sticky nature if hold in hand for some time. It is very much fragile and gives very fine white powdery appearances while crushing with stone pieces or with pestle and mortar. Whereas, the adulterated material showed very hard, neither brittle nor fragile, and cannot be crushed as a fine powder. The pieces of such artificial or adulterated resins are irregular but comparatively smaller than the original resins, golden yellow to pale reddish-brown color and no fragrance and no taste, also not showing sticky nature on holding in hand for some time.

The above method of Macroscopic identification would help many medical practitioners, nurses, medical students of the Traditional system of Medicine to get authentic material from the market and to prepare medicines of good potency and best therapeutic results.  

Post COVID -19 Care and treatment - a review...

As we know that the COVID -19 had destroyed the normal life of Human beings in all over the world. Millions of people get affected by this pandemic virus. Many collective and individual efforts are being made to prepare an antidote for the virus as a potent vaccine but no fruitful result still comes. People who get infected critically and taken to the hospital are being treated with common flue treatment including paracetamol. The intensive care unit only helps to fight with the disease by uninterrupted breathing via ventilators. No other potential measures help to improve the health of patient except the self-quarantine and available immunity power in the body of the patient as experienced in many cases and that is why the people who become a senior citizen by crossing age sixty as per Indian parameters is highly restricted to meet with normal age people and avoid to go outside frequently especially those people who already had some critical renal, cordial or other life-threatening diseases.

This clearly indicates that the given medicines not curing the patients but patients are being cured due to their power of immunity along with the ventilator support provided in the hospital. There is a question, frequently being asked by the public that how people getting cure without vaccines? The topmost answer is the power of immunity among themselves. Weaker the immunity, the larger the risk of recovery. Now, again, it is the most raised question that why people not getting speedy recovery and feel strengthless, breathing difficulties, pain in the joint and muscles, etc.. This is very clear that even a common viral fever can disturb the metabolic activities of the human body and make it troublesome to walk, food without taste, the body without rest, untoned muscle, etc.. Then, it may be considered that Corona is a stronger virus than the common one. Apart from that, there is a readymade thought in the mind of the person who already gets discharged from the hospital after getting his or her report negative and they feel that he or she becomes alright and therefore, they tried to come back to normalcy in a quick motion and thus, they feel more exertion in the body, tiredness, laziness, breathing difficulties, etc. because they are not giving sufficient time to body for toning itself. Some people come back to the hospital soon with the same complaint of health from that they recovered. 

In fact, after recovering from COVID -19, the body needs more rest and a stress-free mind with proper relaxation of mood more than three terms means 42 days of proper rest because a normal quarantine suggested 14 days to 21 days and as per the earlier health conditions, the rest period may be calculated with proper, hygenic and healthy diet along with bitters as a food habit like Karela (juice from raw fruit of Momordica charantia)  approximately 20 ml twice a day or Kwathas like Nilavembu kudineer, Kapah - Jwara Kudineer, etc to kill the virus in cellular level if any present in the body. If a person hurries to work without giving post-COVID -19 care to the body, there are many chances to repeat the disease because of the weakness of the immune system.

I hope, this article helps the people and they will take care of the body even after recovered from COVID - 19 in order to avoid further infections. 

COVID -19: The result of changed life style - An Important message of Nature.

COVID -19, a worldwide pandemic disease making puzzle to entire human lives. the formula of the Wuhan market, China surely attracts over the caption that " They will eat anything" How disgusting it was? How human beings can eat everything? The animal lives in Earth, water, sky, or on the trees, all would be eaten by them. Is it fair? I have heard that when any creature comes to know that after some time it would be killed the endocrine glands starts secreting hormones that puzzle their mood. If an animal is already in stress and fear and meanwhile it has been killed the moment. The meat of such killing animals will give a bad impact and worst health on the eaters. God made many things for human beings but with certain restrictions. Every creature has an equal right to live on Earth, water sky, or other places they made for dwellings. Just Imagine that an animal looks to others which belongs to the same or other species is being killed, roasted, or fried in front of those animals kept in cadges. How would they feel? At this moment, I remembered a few lines -  

धर्मराज यह भूमि किसी की, नहीं क्रीत है दासी,

हैं जन्मना समान परस्पर, इसके सभी निवासी।

सबको मुक्त प्रकाश चाहिए, सबको मुक्त समीरण,

बाधारहित विकास, मुक्त आशंकाओं से जीवन।  

But where it was considered. Everywhere human-made encroachment and no dwelling places were left for the survival of the animals. If we just go back toward the historical period, we will get that the human and animal had made a brotherhood relationship. Even a goat can drink water where a lion is drinking. Every animal has the right to their survival. Gurukul Ashram was fulfilled with mask dear, duck, cow even baby lion but all were survived together. Please see the following lines - 

आकीर्णम् ऋषिपत्निनाम् अटजद्वार ओधिमि:।

अपत्य अरिवनिवार भागधेय:अर्चिते मृगै:।

The above lines are just an example. It is true that the Shakuntala's Son Bharat was playing with lions and counting their teeth without fear. It does not mean that only nonvegetarian habits provoking COVID - 19 like pandemic but it is certain that whenever humans made interruption in the balanced Nature, Nature always punished the Human being for their worst activities. 

According to  Thomas Malthus (1766-1834), it was believed that the human population exhibits exponential growth, which is when the increase is proportional to the amount already present. With exponential growth, the rate of increase becomes more rapid in proportion to the increasing total size. He was the first man who had told the limit of the Earth and also suggested that the Earth gives the work relaxation as performed by the consumers either good or bad. Some other poet also said - 

सरल तरल जिन तुहिन कणों से, हंसती-हर्षित होती है,

अति आत्मीया प्रकृति हमारे, साथ उन्हीं से रोती है!

अनजानी भूलों पर भी वह, अदय दंड तो देती है,

पर बूढ़ों को भी बच्चों-सा, सदय भाव से सेती है।

Still, time is remaining to correct ourselves and avoid the exploitation of the Earth. We have to consider Earth as our Natural Mother and we have to respect creators without trying to modified panchabhutas rules. Pancha Bhoota or Pancha Maha-Bhoota means five great elements, also five physical elements is a group of five basic elements, which, according to Hinduism, is the basis of all cosmic creation i.e.All matter is composed of five basic elements — panchamahabhutas — which inhere the properties of the earth (Prithvi), water (Jala), fire (Tejas), wind (Vayu) and space (Akasha). 

Sweet fennel (Anise) adulterated with umbelliferous fruits of close resemblance.

The Anise fruits or Anisoon is commonly used in the many traditional system of medicine (Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani and Siddha) as single drugs or along with other ingredients to form compound formulations. The drug anise or anisoon consists of the dried mature fruits of Pimpinella anisum; family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) In the market, this drug found adulterated with Cuminum cyminum (jeera) black variety  or with Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain) black variety in bulk in the market. A Pharmacognosist can easily able to diagnose the adulteration but the adulterated material can not be segregated due to their small sizes and close resemblance on the morphological point of view. 

The adulteration in Pimpinella anisum with other umbelliferous fruits of close resemblances cannot be caught without minute observations. The adulterated material though belongs to the same family of the plant but no doubt, every type of fruit  of the same family also has their own therapeutic value. 

It requires more skilled and experiences persons to find out authentic material without adulteration. However, here I would like to provide some tips for easy identification that can surely helps up to an extent to escape from adulterated material and to procure good and authentic material to manufacture medicines of high quality.

Pharmacognostically, the Pimpenella anisum fruits should be pear - shaped, yellowish green , somewhat compressed, cremocarp with persistent pediciles. Each fruits measuring 3-4 mm long and 1.5 -3.0 mm broad with 4 to 5 ridges arranged longitudinally, The fruits should have sweet aromatic taste and gives an aromatic odor when crushed. Wherease, the the black jeera Cuminum cyminum or black ajwain Trachyspermum ammi fruits comparatively small with short pedicel (stalk) or apedicillate (without stalk) the ajwain rounded to oval and black jeera Cuminum cyminum measuring 2.5 - 3.5 mm long and 1.0-2.5 mm broad with characteristic bitter odor. 

For better results, an small quanity from bulk  (5-10 grams fruits) may be taken then spread on white paper uniformly and then separated with the help of forceps and handlens. After segregation of fruits, it may be tasted separately, the anise fruit gives sweet aromatic and characterisitc taste at the same time the black jeera and ajwain has bitter and characteristic taste.

Hope, this may help to get rid of adulteration while procuring Aniseed or anise or anisson fruits in bulk for medicinal purposes.