KURCHI BARK ( STEROIDAL ALKALOIDS ).pptx

kurchi bark is antidysentery drug . It is used in many diseases such as diarrhoea .

1. KURCHI BARK ( STEROIDAL ALKALOIDS ) BY :- PRITY PRIYA B-PHARM 2021-25 KINPMS BIHAR

2. KURCHI FLOWER

3. SYNONYMS :- Holarrhenna , Kurchi bark BIOLOGICAL SOURCES :- Kurchi bark consists of dried stem bark of Holarrhena antidysenterica wall . It is collected from 8-10 years old plant and freed from attached wood , and peeled into small pieces . It should contain not less than 2% of total alkaloids of kurchi . FAMILY :- Apocynaceae GEOGRAPHICAL SOURCES :- It is indigenous to India and found throughout India in parts ascending upto 1000m in the Himalayas , especially in wet forests . It is also found in Orissa, Assam , Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra .

4. MORPHOLOGY :- Appearances – Occurs in pieces Shape – Small pieces recurved longitudinally as well as transversely . Size – Variable from pieces to pieces (6-12 mm thick ) Outer Surface – Covered by many transversely elongated , horizontal lenticels . Inner Surface – Rough bearing longitudinal wrinkles . Fracture – Brittle and splintery Colour – Buff to reddish brown Odour – Odourless Taste – Bitter

5. CULTIVATION & COLLECTION :- Kurchi is a deciduous lactiferous shrub or small tree , 9-10 m high . The drug is obtained from wild sources only . For the collection of bark , the plants which are 8-10 years old are selected . The bark is collected from the tree by making suitable transverse and longitudinal incisions from July to September. The alkaloids content is high soon after the rains when new shoots are produced which declines during winter months . After detachment , the bark is separated from the wood and dried . The recovered pieces if the bark are marketed .

6. MICROSCOPIC CHARACTERS :- T.S of bark shows cork composed of uniformly arranged several layers of tangentially elongated cells. Below cork is a broad zone of cortex , composed of thin – walled , irregular , polygonal parenchymatous cells containing starch grains and prismatic calcium oxalate crystals . Groups of sclereids are scattered in the cortex ; individual sclereids cells are more or less rounded – oval , thick walled with numerous pits . Cortex is limited below by a zone of groups of sclereids , which alternate with parenchymatous zone . Pholem consists of phloem parenchyma similar to cortex , traversed longitudinally by medullary rays at regular intervals . Medullary rays are narrow , one to two cells wide and almost straight .

7. CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS :- Kurchi bark contains main steroidal alkaloids conessine ( 20-30 % ) . Other alkaloids reported include norconessine , isoconessine , concessimine , isoconessimine , kurchine conarrhimine , conamine , hollarhimine etc . The seeds called as Indrajav contain conessine hydrobromide . Conessine is also present in root bark along with some other steroidal alkaloids . The bark also contains gum , resin , tannin , lupeol and digitenol glycoside holadysone .

8. USES :- It is antiprotozoal in activity and used to treat amoebic dysentery . Conessine is highly active against Entamoeba histolytica . The bark is used as stomachic , tonic , astringent , antidysentery , febrifuge and anthelmintic . The dried bark is rubbed over the body in dropsy . Kurchi bark in the form of kurchi bismuth iodide is employed orally for the treatment of amoebiasis . ALLIED DRUG :- 1 .) Bark of Hollarhena floribunda . ADULTERANT :- Wrightia tinctoria bark is an adulterant of kurchi bark .