Fumaria indica (Indian Fumitory )

Fumaria indica

Indian Fumitory !!
BOTANICAL NAME: Fumaria indica
FAMILY: Fumariaceae (Fumitory family)
SYNONYMS: Fumaria parviflora var. indica, Fumaria vaillantii var. indica

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:The genus Fumaria (Fumariaceae) consists of 46 species in the world and Fumaria species are known as “fumitory, earth smoke, beggary, fumus, vapor, fumittery or wax dolls” in English. Fumaria indica (Hausskn.) Pugsley (F. indica)(Fumariaceae) is a small, scandent, branched, annual herb growing wild in plains and lower hills. It is locally known as “Pitpapra” or “Shahtrah” in India, and its vernacular names are “Common fumitory” in English, “Pitpapra” in Hindi, “Shotara, pipapapra” in Bengali, “Pittapapra” in Marathi, “Pittapapdo” in Gujrati, “Parpataka” in Kannad, “Shahterah” in Kashmiri, “Turu” or “thusha” in Tamil, and “Chata-rashi” in Telgu.
Ayurvedic description:
Sanskrit: Parpata, Parpataka (Charaka, Sushruta).
Synonyms: Varatikta, pittahara, renu, kavacha, charmaahvya, rajorenu, charmakantaka, sooksmapatra, yavakantaka.
Properties: Rasa-Tikta; Guna-Laghu; Veerya-Sheeta; Vipaaka-Katu.
Action/Uses: Sangraahi, raktavikaarashamana, raktapitiahara, madhura, bhramaghna, aruchihara, daahahara, pitajwaraghna, kaphajwaraghna, pipaasashamani, chardighna

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:The Fumaria is a genus of herbs distributed in Asia, Europe and Africa. The F. indica plants are distributed over the greater part of India upto 2 438 m on the Himalayas, Baluchistan, Afganistan, Persia, and Mongolia. According to wealth of India, Indian plant bearing the name “Shahtrah” or “Pitpapra” has been wrongly referred as Fumaria officinalis Linn. or Fumaria paviflora lam. by many authors, which are common fumitory in Europe but not found in India. The identification of Fumaria species is difficult due to the occurrence of inter-specific hybridisation and the best condition to identify a Fumaria species is to study fresh material, as many changes occur in the herbarium specimens during drying.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION:>>F. indica is a much-branched, suberect or diffuse, pale-green, annual herb that is up to 61 cm in height.
>>Leaves are multifid and more or less glaucous; leaflets are 2-4 in number and pinnatisect; segment is long, linear or linear-oblong, flat, and acute.
>>Recemes have 10-12 flowers that are rather dense; bracts lanceolate-subulate and slightly acuminate, and pedicels (2.0-2.5 in number) are rarely 4.5 mm long, erect and thickened at the apex.
>>Sepals are about 1.5 mm long, 0.5-1.0 mm broad, lanceolate or ovate, acuminate, more or less inciso-dentate, rose colored and often persistent in the young fruit.
>>Corrola is 5-6 mm long and rose colored.
>>Fruit is about 2.5 mm broad, subrotund, quadrate, subtruncate and sometimes obscurely retuse.
>>Stem is light green, smooth, hollow, about 3-4 mm thick, with root brown color and branches that are about 2-3 mm thick, and cylindrical.

PHARMACOGNOSTIC STUDIES:Microsopically, the lamina of leaf has single layer epidermis on either side, consisting of thin walled, rectangular, oval shaped, parenchymatous cells; mesophyll is composed of thin walled, oval to polygonal, parenchymatous cells; vascular bundles are scattered throughout the mesophyll; anomocytic stomata are present on both the surfaces. Microscopically, the stem of F. indica is quadrangular to pentagonal in shape. The outer most single layered epidermis is covered with cuticle. The cortex is divided into two regions and endodermis is absent. Closed and bicollateral vascular bundles are either single or in group of two and arranged at the ridges. Each vascular bundle is capped with sclerenchyma. In root, epidermis is obliterated or crushed and cortex consists of thin walled, irregular shaped, parenchymatous cells; endodermis is not distinct; secondary phloem is well developed and consists of sieve tube, companion cells and phloem parenchyma.

MEDICINAL USES:Classical uses: In Charaka and Sushruta, parpata is recommended for treatment of fevers and blood disorders. In Sushruta, the plant has also been recommended in case of chronic skin diseases, urinary diseases and cough. F. indica alone or combined with Tinospra cardifolia, Emblica officinalis, Santalum album or Zingiber officinale was prescribed for alleviating fever. F. indica is an important ingredient in Amrtaarishta (Bhaishajya Ratnaavali, an ancient indian medical book), prescribed as an antipyretic and antiperiodic compound; Arvindaasava, prescribed as a carminative and restorative; Chandanaasava, prescribed for urinary and urogenital disorders; Mahaatikta Ghrita (Ashtaanga Hridaya, an ancient indian medical book), prescribed as ablood purifier, antiinfective, appetizer and restorative.

In Unani medicine, Fumaria plant imported from Persia is used as “shaahtara” and is an important ingredient in a number of blood purifying compounds. Itrifal-e-Shaahtara is prescribed for putrefaction of blood, syphilis, skin diseases. Majoon-e-Musaffi-e-Khoon are reputed blood purifying compounds in Unani medicine.

The plant is sold under the name pitpapra in Ayurvedic bazaars. It is also used in the Unani system of medicine and incorporated into trifala shahtara. Indian Fumitory is used in aches and pains, diarrhoea, fever, influenza and liver complaints. The herb mixed with honey mar be taken internally to prevent vomiting. A cold infusion of the plant is used to treat wasting diseases of children and to help cooling during fever and in the treatment of constipation and dyspepsia. It is used as a blood purifier for skin diseases and applied externally in leucoderma and as a fomentation for swollen joints. The dried plant is also used as an anthelmintic, diuretic and diaphoretic and, in combination with black pepper, for jaundice.

SOURCES:
>>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609363/

>>http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Indian%20Fumitory.html