Kaladana

KALADANA

Synonyms

Mirchi (Hindi), Krishnabija (Sanskrit).

Biological Source

Kaladana consists of the dried ripe seeds of Ipomoea hederacea L., belonging to Family Convolvulaceae.

Geographical Source

It grows throughout India both cultivated and apparently wild, up to 2,000 metres in the Himalayas.

Characteristics

The seeds are 5–6 mm long, 3.7 mm wide, triangular, brownish black in colour. Each seed has two flat faces joining at an angle of 60° to 80°. At the base of joint there is a cordate hilum. Testa is dull black, hard, smooth, and glabrous. Taste is first sweetish then acrid.

                             Ipomoea hederacea

Chemical Constituents

Drug contains resin (about 15%), mucilage, fixed oil, and saponin. Hydrolysis of the resin affords hydroxypalmitic acid and sugar. Lysergol, hederaceterpenol, hederaceteriol, hederaterpenoside, β-sitosterol glucopyranoside, and chanoclavine are also present in Kaladana.

The seed oil is composed of glycerides of palmitic, stearic (20.3%), arachidic, oleic (43.9%), linoleic (14.5%), and linolenic acids.

Uses

Kaladana is used as purgative and substituted for Jalap.