Deccan Peninsula, and cultivated throughout the greater part of India, is also equated with Khirni.
398 Maranta arundinacea Linn.
All parts gave taraxerol, a triterpene ketone, alpha-and beta-amyrin, cmnamates, alpha-sipnasterol, beta-sitosterol, its beta-D-glucoside, quercitol, quercetin and its dihydroderivatives, ursolic acid.
The bark contains 10% tannin.
Maranta arundinacea Linn.
Family Marantaceae.
Habitat Native to tropical America; cultivated throughout the country for its edible starch.
English Arrowroot.
Siddha Koovaikizhangu,
Kookaineer.
Action Nutritive, demulcent (especially for infants and convalescence). Used as a dietary aid in acute diarrhoea and gastroenteritis. Used as a substitute for Bamboo-manna.
The rhizome contains about 25—27% neutral starch.
Marrubium vulgare Linn.
Family Labiatae; Lamiacea.
Habitat Native to Europe and Central Asia; also found in Kashmir.
English Horehound.
Unani Faraasiyun (wrongly equated with Valerian in National Formulary of Unani Medicine).
Action Expectorant, cholagogue; bitter tonic for stomach and liver, antispasmodic. Used for bronchitis, asthma, whooping cough, hard
cough with little phlegm; also for cardiac extrasystols.
Key application In loss of appetite, dyspepsia; bloating and flatulence. (German Commission E.) The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia and The British Herbal Compendium (additionally) indicate its use for acute bronchitis, non-productive cough and catarrh and the respiratory tracts.
The herb yields a diterpenoid, premarrubiin, which generates marrubiin as an artefact; caffeic acid derivatives; and flavonoids—apigenin, apigenin-7- glucoside, luteolin, luteolin-7-gluco- side, quercetin-3-glucoside and -3- rhamnoglucoside. The extracts of the herb exhibit anti-inflammatory and antiserotonin activity experimentally. Marrubiin is considered to be responsible for expectorant activity. It has also shown to normalize extrasystolic arrhythmias. High doses may cause cardiac irregularities.
The oil exhibits antimicrobial properties and is reported to be vasodilatory and hypotensive.
