Action Fruit—powered (deseeded) fruits are used against cough, cold and sprue. Rosaries of hard stones are used for protecting children from infections. (Due to misleading nomenclature, the “conception-promoting” property has been attributed to the drug in folk medicine. Its use is possible in vaginal infections and genitourinary diseases, or skin eruptions during pre-conception stage.)
The seed kernel on steam distillation yield 0.5% of a sharp-smelling essential oil of the mustard oil type. The oil contains isopropyl and 2-butyl isothiocyanates as the main constituents and 2-methyl-butyl isothiocyanate as a minor component. The iso-thiocyanates are produced on enzymic hydrolysis of glycosidic progenitors present in the kernels, viz. glucoputranjivin, glucocochlearin and glucojiaputin respec
Pyrus communis Linn. 529
tively. An additional glucoside, glucocleomin has been identified in the seed kernel, it affords a non-volatile mustard oil, cleomin. A glycosidic pattern similar to that in the seed is reported in the shoots and roots.
The fruit pulp contains a large proportion of mannitol and small quantities of saponin glucosides and alkaloids.
The seed coat gave putranjivoside, putranoside A, B, C and D, betasitosterol and tis beta-D-glucoside.
The leaves gave amentoflavone and its derivatives, beta-amyrin and its palmite, polyphenols, putranjiva saponin A,B,C, and D and stigmasterol.
The bark contains friedelin, friedelanol, friedelanone, friedelan-3,7-di- one (putranjivadione), 3-aipha-hydro- xy friedelan- 7-one (roxburgholone), carboxylic acid, putric acid, putranjivic acid.
The essential oil from leaves showed mild antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani.
Pygmaeopemna herbacea
(Roxb.) Mold.
Synonym Premna herbacea Roxb. Family Verbenaceae.
Habitat Andhra Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu and Orissa and in some parts of Kerala.
Ayurvedic Bhumi-jambu.
Siddha/Tamil Siru Thekku.
Action Rootstock—antiasthmatic. Leaf— bechic, febrifuge. Rootstock
and leaf—antirheumatic. (Sold in
South Indian market as Bhaarangi.)
A diterpenoid quinonemethide (bharangin) is reported from the plant.
