These are the fruits of Ammi visnaga Linn., belonging to family Umbelliferae.
VISNAGA
Synonyms
Bishop’s flower, Greater Ammi, Khaizaran, Khellakraut,
Khillah, Pick Tooth, Toothpick weed, Viznaga.
Biological Source
These are the fruits of Ammi
visnaga Linn., belonging to family Umbelliferae.
Geographical Source
It is mainly found in Europe, West Asia, Egypt, West Africa.
Cultivation and Collection
It is an Annual/Biennial growing to 0.75 m by 0.4 m. The
plant prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position, succeeding in ordinary
garden soil. Tolerates a pH in the range of 6.8–8.3. The seeds are sown in
prepared beds on a well drained loamy soil in the month of August. When the
plants attain a height of 6–7 cm they are transplanted to open fields. The crop
is cut in March–April when the fruits are ripe. The dried plants are thrashed
on the floor and the fruits are collected and winnowed.
Characteristics
Fruit, cremocarp, usually separated into its two mericarps,
rarely entire, with a part of the pedicel attached. Mericarp, small, ovoid,
about 2 mm long and 1 mm broad; crowned with a disc-like nectary, the stylopod;
brownish to greenish-brown with a violet tinge (Distinction from Ammi majus); externally, glabrous,
marked with five distinct, pale brown-ish, rather broad primary ridges and four
inconspicuous dark secondary ridges; internally, the mericarp shows a pericarp
with six vittae, four in the dorsal and two in the commis-sural side, a large
oily orthospermous endosperm and a small apical embryo. Carpophore, single, no
split; passing at the apex in to the raphe of each mericarp. Odour, slightly
aromatic; taste, aromatic, bitter and slightly pungent.
Microscopy
The mericarp is an almost regular pentagon and the seeds are
orthospermous. There are five vascular strands and four vittae; on the outer
side of each vittae a group of radiating club shaped cells and these cause a
slight elevation of the surface over each vitta, thus forming the secondary
ridges. It contains a large lacuna on the outer side of each vascular strand in
the primary ridges.
Chemical Constituents
The drug contains furanocoumarin compounds. The chief
constituents are khellin and visnagin, which are γ-benzopyrone derivatives. Khellol
and khellol glucoside are also present. In addition it
contains pyranocoumarin esters visnadin, samidin and dihydrosamidin. Fixed oil
and proteins are also present.
Chemical Test
The drug when treated with strong mineral acid shows lemon
yellow colour while in Ammi majus
dirty green brown colour is seen.
Uses
Visnaga is an effective muscle relaxant and has been used
for centuries to alleviate the excruciating pain of kidney stones. Khellin is
used in treatment of asthma. The seeds are diuretic, antiasthmatic and
lithontripic. The seeds have a strongly antispasmodic action on the smaller
bronchial muscles; they also dilate the bronchial, urinary and blood vessels
without affecting blood pressure.
Marketed Products
It is one of the ingredients of the preparations known as
Lukoskin oral drops (Aimil Pharmaceuticals).
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