Justicia adhatoda L. (Adulsa, Malabar Nut); syn. Adhatoda vasica Nees, (Bengali: বাসক পাতা) (Kannada: Aadumuttada Soppu)(Malayalam: ആടലോടകം ("aadalodakam") , Sanskrit: अडुसा adusa, aruha, अरुष arusha, others) is a medicinal plant native to Asia.

The plant grows wild in abundance all over Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, and the Pothohar region of Pakistan, particularly in the Pharwala area.

Botanical description

This is a shrub with lance-shaped leaves 10 to 15 centimeters in length by four wide. They are oppositely arranged, smooth-edged, and borne on short petioles. When dry they are of a dull brownish-green colour. They are bitter-tasting. When a leaf is cleared with chloral hydrate and examined microscopically the oval stomata can be seen. They are surrounded by two crescent-shaped cells at right angles to the ostiole. The epidermis bears simple one- to three-celled warty hairs, and small glandular hairs. Cystoliths occur beneath the epidermis of the underside of the blade.

Chemical composition

Several alkaloids are present in the leaves. The most important is vasicine, a quinazoline alkaloid responsible for the medicinal activity of the plant.^{[citation needed]} The vasicine yield of the herbage has been measured as 0.541 to 1.1% by dry weight.

Pharmacology

This shrub has a number of traditional medicinal uses.^{[citation needed]}

Vasicine, the active compound, has been compared to theophylline both in vitro and in vivo. Another, vasicinone, showed bronchodilatory activity in vitro but bronchoconstrictory activity in vivo; it is probably biotransformed in vivo, causing bronchoconstriction.^{[citation needed]} Both the alkaloids in combination (1:1) showed pronounced bronchodilatory activity in vivo and in vitro. Vasicine also exhibited strong respiratory stimulant activity, moderate hypotensive activity and cardiac-depressant effect; vasicinone was devoid of these activities. The cardiac-depressant effect was significantly reduced when a mixture of vasicine and vasicinone was used. Vasicinone (dl-form) showed no effect on the isolated heart, but probably the l-form is a weak cardiac stimulant. Clinical trials of a commercial drug containing vasicinone and vasicinone have not revealed any side effects while treating bronchial asthma.^{[1][verification needed]}

Names

It is also called Adhatoda vasika, which is derived from a former scientific name. It has different names in different Indian languages.^[2]

• Malayalam: Atalotakam (ആടലോടകം)
• Sanskrit: Sinhapuri, Vasaka (वसाका)
• Hindi: Adosa, Arusha, Rus, Bansa
• Bengali: Adulsa, Bakash,Vasok
• Gujarati: Adulso, Aduraspee, Bansa (અરડૂસી)
• Kannada: Adusogae
• Marathi: Adulsa, Adusa (अडुळसा)
• Persian: Bansa
• Punjabi: Bhekkar
• Tamil: Adathodai
• Telugu: Adamkabu, Adampaka, Addasaram (అడ్డసరం)

References

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The plant is distributed all over the plains of India and in the lower Himalayan ranges, ascending to a height of 1500 meter. Adhatoda zeylanica belongs to family Acanthaceae.

Names

Sanskrit- Vasaka, Hindi- Arusa,

Chemical constituents

A Bioactive pyrroloquinazoline alkaloid, Vasicine, about 1.3%.^[1]

Therapeutic category

Bronchodilatory and Expectorant ^[2]

Pharmacology

The bronchodilatory and expectorant properties of the leaves are attributed to vasicine.^[3] The drug possesses abortification activity and significant antimicrobial activity against gingival inflammation and pyorrhoea.^[4]

References

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