Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Colebr.

Menispermum fenestratum Gaertn.

Fam :

Ayurvedic name Harichandan, Pitassara, Pitasandan Unani name ------Hindi name Jhar-haldi, Daruharidra English name False Calumba Trade name Pitchandan Parts used Wood, root Fruits of fenestratum

Morphological Characteristics Uttar Kannada districts), Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram, Wynaad, Thrissur, It is a climbing shrub. Young shoots are Idukki and Palakkad) and Tamil Nadu hairy-tomentose. Leaves are oblong deltoid, (Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Nilgiri obscurely peltate, acuminate, glabrous districts) up to an altitude of 1000 m msl. above, hairy and reticulate beneath. Petiole The species is seen confined to the semi- is long. is listed as endangered species evergreen and wet evergreen forests. in India Climate and Soil Floral Characteristics This plant is an endemic species of Western It is a dioecious plant and comes to bloom Ghats, wherein it prefers rain forest from August to October. Flowers are green, climate and high humidity throughout with borne in dense globose heads. Sepals are 6 in a temperature ranging from 15-250C. Plant number with a bract, orbicular persistent. occurs in partial shade in humid location in Petals are 3 in number, large, spreading and association with many shrubs and large elliptic. Fruit is a drupe globose, villous and trees. The soil is acidic (pH of 5.2) with bony endocarp. Seed is globose. very high organic matter (2.3%) content. Distribution Propagation Material Plant is a native of India. It has also been The planting material is seed. reported in Vietnam. Within India, the species is restricted to the of Karnataka (Coorg, Udupi, Dakshin and

10 Agro-techniques of Selected Medicinal : Volume - III Agro-technique4 planted over the manure and nurtured well by watering regularly. The plant is Nursery Technique given a bamboo pole to support for Ÿ Raising Propagules: better plant growth. Ÿ The plant is propagated through seeds. Transplanting and Optimum Matured fruits occur in bunches from Spacing: May to October. Fruit pulp could be Well-grown plants are planted with removed by rubbing against rough minimum disturbance in main field surface. Black seeds may be soaked in along with soil attached to the roots in 3000ppm GA for 20 hours to hasten poly bags. Plant to plant spacing is germination up to 90%. 2m X 2m. Care is taken to put plant Seed should be immediately put for underneath a shrub or tree having germination since they lose viability 50-60 percent shade for quick within two weeks. Seeds germinate very establishment of crop. slowly, beginning after 4 months and Ÿ Irrigation Practices: may take even 8-10 months. Plant needs frequent irrigation and Germination percentage of fresh seed is daily in summer months. approx. 60%. The plants from nursery bed are Harvest Management carefully shifted to polybags filled with Ÿ Crop Maturity and Harvesting: mixture of sand, soil and FYM @ 2 kg/polybag. Plants are watered on Crop matures at about 15 years. The alternate days and kept in shade in mist economic part is root. It is expected to chamber. They are maintained for give about 3-4 kg of fresh root/plant nearly 6-9 months and then shifted to depending on the growth of plant and main field after it has attained 60 cm in its environment. height. Ÿ Post-harvest Management: Planting in the Field The root is dried in shade and stored in air-tight gunny bags. Ÿ Land Preparation and manure Application: Ÿ Chemical Constituents: Plant is raised over FYM. In all 20 kg Roots contain alkaloids such as FYM is applied in a pit and seedling is berlambine, dihydroberlambine and

4Agro-technique study carried out by Indian Institute of Horticulture Research, Hessaraghatta Lake Post, Bangalore-560089 11 Agro-techniques of Selected Medicinal Plants: Volume - III noroxyhydrastinine, oxo-berberine, Therapeutic Uses berberine, tetrahydro-berberine, cytosterol, stigmasterol and jatrorrhizine. Stem Root of Harichandan is used in the form of contains protoberberine alkaloids and powder and decoction to treat indigestion, jatrorrhizine. flatulence, diseases of liver and fever. Decoction of bark is used in intermittent Ÿ Yield: fevers. The plant yields about 3-5 kg fresh root and reduced to half on drying. Thus, about 4 t dry roots can be expected from 2500 plants/ha.

12 Agro-techniques of Selected Medicinal Plants: Volume - III