Crude drug sample data base
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Crude drug name | Market name | Balchar |
|---|---|---|
| Urudu name | Sunbul-hindi, Nardeen, Jatamansi | |
| Arabic name / Persian name | Sunbul al-hindi / 'Ek' Reshewala | |
| English name | Spikenard | |
| Original plant name | Nardostachys jatamansi DC., Spikenard | |
| Family name | Valerianaceae | |
| Used part | Classification | Plant origin | Sub classification | rhizome |
| Collection information | Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Karachi [Karachi], Sind , Amjad Unani Medicine (Pvt.) Ltd. | |
| Collection date | 1994/1/22 | |
| Collector | Tsuneo Namba | |
| Identifier | Javed Ahmad | |
| Description | Features: Stout, woody, frequently arched rhizomes, 2.5 to 8cm long and upto 1cm thick, having a dark grey colour. It is densely covered with silky reddish brown fibres, which are matted together to form a network. Fracture - short and clear - exposing reddish brown uneven surface; odour - strong; taste - aromatic, slightly bitter. | |
| TMPW No. | 14630 | |
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Production area information
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25.0700428
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Collection information
Islamic Republic of Pakistan,Karachi [Karachi], Sind
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Scientific information data base
| Crude drug name | Urudu name, English name | Sunbul-hindi, Nardeen, Jatamansi, Spikenard | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic name / Persian name | Sunbul al-hindi / 'Ek' Reshewala | ||||
| crude drug image |
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| Original plant name | Nardostachys jatamansi DC. | ||||
| Family name | Valerianaceae | ||||
| Used part | Rhizome | ||||
| Distribution area | Alpine Himalayas, 11,000-15,000 ft., extending eastwards from Kumaon to Sikkim, 17,000 ft., and Bhutan. Also found in some other countries of Asia. | ||||
| Description | According to Avicenna (Ibn Sina) the Nard is of two kinds: (a) Sunbul al-tib (Nardostachys jatamansi) which is Indian spikenard and (b) Nardin which is also called Roman nard (Sunbul-rumi). Roman nard is weaker than Indian spikenard. Roman nard resembles the Suri variety of nard in potency. According to Dioscorides the best nard is one which is rich in reddish hair. It is fragrant like the Indian cypress. Small nard causes irritation to the tongue. Most of its varieties are interwined and have a stinking odour. Its fibres can easily be rubbed to yield large quantity of a black powder. This is soaked in hot water and decocted to be adulterated with antimony sulphide and sold in the market. It is easily adulterated. The black Indian variety is better than the red one. The best one which is fresh, fragrant, multi-rooted and quite compact so that it can not be easily rubbed. Nardin (Roman nard), which has a stem of whitish colour, is of no use when it has a foul odour. | ||||
| Function and properties | Swellings, Head organs, Eye, Chest, Vital organs, Excretion. It is deobstruent and dissolvent. The Indian variety is most astringent but its hotness is less than its desiccation. It is calorific, carminative, tonic to brain and heart, aphrodisiac, emmenagogue and aromatic. | ||||
| Specific actions | Tonic to liver and brain. | ||||
| Frequency in use | Moderate in alpine zone. | ||||
| Common uses | Swellings: It is a dissolvent drug. Head organs: It prevents catarrh and strengthens the brain. Eye: Its use as collyrium applied with an eye pencil helps the growth of eyelashes. It is quite effective. Chest: All kinds of nard are useful in palpitation. It clears the chest and lungs and prevents infiltration of the catarrh. Vital organs: Nard removes obstructions of the liver and stomach and strengthens them. It protects all these organs from jaundice. It prevents matters moving towards the stomach and relieves irritation. Excretion: All varieties of nard are diuretic but Roman nard is stronger in this respect because it is warmer and less astringent. It is useful in all kinds of uteritis. For this purpose the patient is given a sitz bath in its decoction. It is useful in nephralgia and stops excessive bleeding from the uterus. | ||||
| Side effect | It is very harmful for kidneys. | ||||
| Medical system | Unani | ||||
| Traditional concept | Temperament | Nard is hot in the first and dry in the second degree (Avicenna). It is hot and dry in the second degree. | |||
| Drug effect | It is very beneficial for liver and brain but harmful for kidneys. | ||||
| Dosage | 3 to 5 gm. | ||||
| Substitute | Idhkhir-makki (Cymbopogon jawarancusa Schult.). | ||||
| Related drugs | According to Unani literature there are three kinds of nard. 1. Sunbul al-teeb (Valeriana officinalis Linn.). It is known as True Valerian. 2. Sunbul hindi (Nardostachys jatamansi DC.). It is known as Nardun or Nardus root and Balchar. 3. Sunbul jabali (Valeriana hardwickii Wall.). It is also known an "Taggar" in India. All the three belong to the family - Valerianaceae. V. officinalis is found in Europe and in Northern countries of Asia. All are similar in external morphology. All are fragrant. All show similar properties. But according to Unani description the most effective is Sunbul al-teeb. Rhizome of Selinum vaginatum C. B. Cl. and S. tenuifolium Wall. (Fam. Apiaceae) are sold as cheap substitute of the genuine drug (Nardostachys jatamansi). | ||||
| Corrigent (corrective) | Roghan gul, oil of rose. | ||||
| Important compound preparations | Jawarish Anarain, Khamira Abresham Hakim Arshadwala and Labub Kabir. | ||||
| References | Reference book Tips！ | Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants, 1956. Chopra, R.N., Nayar, S.L. and Chopra, I.C., Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi. - New Edition (1996) National Institute Science Communication; Supplement pp 173-174. Illustrated Manual of Herbal Drugs Used in Ayurveda, 1996. Sarin, Y.K., Council of Scientific & Industrial Research and Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi p 44. Indian Materia Medica, Vols. 1-2, 1976 (Repr. 1989). Nadkarni, A.K., Popular Prakashan Pvt. Ltd., Bombay Vol. 1, pp 840-841. Avicenna's Tract on Cardiac Drugs and Essays on Arab Cardiotherapy, 1983. Hameed, H. A. Hamdard Foundation Press, Karachi. p 52. Makhzanul-Mufradat (Khawasul Adviyah), Hakeem Kabiruddin, Daftar Al-Masih, Qarol Bagh, Delhi. pp 356-357. A Survey of Drugs, 1961 (2nd edi.). Wahid, A. K. and Siddiqui, H. H. Institute of History of Medicine and Medical Research, Delhi. p 80. Al-Qanun Fil-Tibb. Avicenna. (English translation of the critical Arabic text), Book 2, 1998. Hameed, H. A. (editor), Dept. of Islamic Studies, Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard University), New Delhi. pp 275-276. Hamdard Pharmcopoeia of Eastern medicine, 1969. Said, H. M. (editor), The Times Press, Sadar Karachi. pp 80, 119, 244. Unani Adwiyah Mufradah, 1984. Ali, Saifuddin, A. (3rd edi.). Taraqi-e-Urdu Bureau, R. K. Puram, New Delhi. pp 189-190. | |||
| Remarks | Avicenna (Ibn Sina) has included Nard among sixty-three drugs in ''al-adwiyat al-Qalbia'' (Cardiac Drugs) for cardiac ailments. Jatamansi / Balchar (Nardostachys jatamansi) is a good substitute for the official Valerian. It is also mostly employed in the compound preparations. But in Unani books Valeriana officinalis is also mentioned as Balchar. | ||||
| Last renewal date | 2024/03/13 | ||||
