lumbago, skeletal fractures, nervous diseases, amenorrhoea, haemorrhoids, erysipelas. The herb is used in hairoils for treating dandruff, alopecia and for darkening hair.
The plant extract showed significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity and sedative effect on CNS. The drug also showed (transient) vasodepressant activity.
The leaves contain beta-sitosterol and its D-glucoside, an alkaloid, oxalic acid and amino acids. The presence of a saponin and quebrachitol is reported in the plant.
The leaves and stem are used in preparations used against common cold. Alcoholic extract of the plant exhibits antisickling and antiarthritic activity. Seeds have positive anabolic activity and increase body weight by inducing a positive nitrogen balance.
The alkaloid fraction from the seeds showed hypotensive activities and cardiac inhibition in anaesthetized dogs; blocked spasmogenic effects of acetylcholine, histamine and 5-HT on guinea pig ileum, biphasic effort on frog rectus abdominis muscle. The seeds also showed antibacterial activity.
Dosage Whole plant—50—l00 ml decoction. (CCRAS.)
Careya arborea Roxb.
Family Barringtoniaceae.
Habitat Sub-Himalayan tract, from Jammu eastwards to West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
English Kumbi, Slow-Match tree. Ayurvedic Katabhi, Kumbhika, Kumbhi, Kumbi, Kaitrya, Kumudikaa.
Siddha/Tamil Kumbi, Ayma.
Action Bark—demulcent (in coughs and colds), antipyretic and antipruritic (in eruptive fevers), anthelmintic, antidiarrhoeal. An infusion of flowers is given after child birth.
122 Carica papaya Linn.
Seeds contain triterpenoid sapogenols, sterols; leaves contain a tnterpene ester, beta-amyrin, hexacosanol, taraxerol, beta-sitosterol, quercetin and taraxeryl acetate.
Careya herbacea Roxb., a related species, is known as Kumbhaadu-lataa in Bengal.
Dosage Bark—50—100 ml decoction. (CCRAS.)
