These are the fruits of Ammi majus Linn., belonging to family Umbelliferae.
AMMI
Synonyms
Bishop’s weed, Laceflower, Large Bullwort, Toothpick Arami.
Biological Source
These are the fruits of Ammi
majus Linn., belonging to family Umbelliferae.
Geographical Source
It is mainly found in Europe, Egypt, West Africa and India.
Cultivation and Collection
The plant prefers sandy, loamy and clay soils. The plant
prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semishade or
no shade. It requires moist soil. It is propagated using seeds. Before sowing,
the seeds are mixed with soil and sown in the month of October. The seeds
germinate within a month. It is in flower from June to October, and the seeds
ripen from July to October. The fruits are collected when they are immature in
April–May and dried.
Characteristics
Fruits are 22.5 mm long and 0.5–1.7 mm broad. Ammi majus
fruits can be distinguished by the presence of four prominent secondary ridges and by the absence of lacuane outside
the vascular bundles, seen in the transverse section of Ammi visnaga. Odour, slightly aromatic, terbenthinate; taste,
strongly pungent and slightly bitter.
Ammi majus
Chemical Constituents
The drug contains furanocoumarins, xanthotoxin (0.4–1.9%),
imperatorin, bergapten and isopimpilin.
Identification Tests
1. Boil about 1 g of the drug with 10
ml of water for 1 min and strain, add one or two drops of this decoction to 2
ml of a solution of sodium hydroxide, no rose colour is produced (distinction
from Ammi visinaga).
2. Alcoholic extract of the fruit gives
blue fluorescence when examined under UV light.
Uses
The drug contains furanocoumarins which stimulate pigment
production in skin that is exposed to bright sun-light and are used in the
treatment of vitiligo (piebald skin) and psoriasis.
Marketed Products
It is one of the ingredients of the preparation known as
Lukoskin ointment (Aimil Pharmaceuticals).
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