International Journal of Applied Ayurved Research ISSN: 2347- 6362 ( INDICA), A FOR WOMEN HEALTH- AN OVERVIEW 1D.T Usha gowda, 2K.O Nanda , 3K.R Tejaswini 1Associate professor and HOD ,Department of prasooti tantra and stree roga , 2Assistant professor ,Department ofPrasooti tantra and Stree roga 3Assistant professor ,Department ofPrasooti tantra and Stree roga JSS Ayurveda MedicalCollege and Hospital ABSTRACT Saraca asoca (Roxb.), De. wild (Family: Caesalpinaceae) is a vital indigenous plant with a traditional significance commonly known as Ashoka. The word Ashoka means “without sorrow”, a reference to reputation of its bark for keeping a woman healthy and youthful. The stem bark is chiefly used in medicines and it has been reported to contain chemicals such as glycoside, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkanes, esters and primary alcohols. Saraca asoca has been greatly used as traditional medicine for women related problems, such as menorrhagia, leucorrhoea, bleeding hemorrhoids, dysfunctional uterine bleeding etc. In this review, emphasis is lead upon research associated to therapeutic properties, phytochemistry and pharmacological profile of Saraca asoca Keywords Saraca asoca, glycoside, menorrhagia, phytochemistry. INTRODUCTION:Ashoka is one of the The Ashoka is a rain-forest tree. It is found most legendary and sacred trees of , all over India, especially in Himalaya, frequently known as “Ashok briksh”, or Kerala, and Bengal and whole south “Ashoka” belonging to family region. Its original distribution was in the Caesalpinaceae . Classically while central areas of the Deccan plateau, as well describing Ashoka it had been described as as the middle section of the Western “nasthi soka yasmt ” 1that means that in the western coastal zone of the Indian gives no grief. Synonyms like vitsoka, subcontinent. As a wild tree, the Ashoka is sokanasa conveys the same. a vulnerable species. It is becoming rarer An elaborate description of Ashoka plant is in its natural habitat, but isolated wild available in the oldest literatures of Ashoka trees are still to be found in the Ayurveda. In Puranas its been said that foothills of the central and eastern eighth day of brighter half of the month of , in scattered locations of the chaitra, if the women eats eight buds of northern plains of India as well as on the asoka and chants she will be west coast of the subcontinent near relieved from pain and sorrow of her mind Mumbai5. 1.The reference of Ashoka even available The Ashoka is valued for its attractive in said that Ashoka means foliage and fragrant . It is a without sorrow, Buddha was said to be beautiful, small, erect evergreen tree, with born under this tree, and its believed as deep green leaves growing in dense sacred plant through out India. Charaka clusters. Its flowering season is around Samhita which is believed to have been February to April. The Ashoka flowers composed in 1000 BC describes about come in heavy, lush bunches and are bright Ashoka tree and its medicinal benefits2,3,4. yellow which turns red before wilting 6. [D.T Usha Gowda et al : Ashoka(), A Plant for Women Health- An Overview]

Description7 D. Appearance- Free flowing powder A. Colour Brown Solubility : A. In water NLT 60%w/w B. Odour -Characteristic B. In Alcohol NLT 40%w/w C. Taste -Characteristic Table 1: Chemical constituents PH (1% w/v solution) 5 to 7

Loss on drying NMT 5%w/w Moisture Content by K.F NMT 5% w/w Ash Content NMT 5% w/w Sulphated Ash Content NMT 5% w/w Volatile oil content Do Not Available Pesticide residue Do Not Available Solvent residue Do Not Available Assay of active principle by HPTLC / HPLC Tannins NLT 30 % w/w Microbiological analysis7 Ashoka is one of the most significant A. Pathogens (E. coli, S. aureus) Absent Ayurvedic drug for the treatment of several B. Total Bacterial Count (CFU/gm) NMT feminine disorders especially in 800 CFU/gm menorrhagia. Its bark is useful for keeping C. Total Fungal Count (CFU/gm) NMT a woman healthy and youthful. The 500 CFU/gm property of Ashoka as per ayurvedic texts Heavy Metal7 says its bark is bitter, astringent and sweet A. Arsenic NMT 1ppm in taste. B. B Lead NMT 5ppm Table:2 Taxonomic Position 8 Kingdom Plantae Division Magnoliophyta Order Family Caesalpinaceae Genus Saraca Species asoca Habitat length. The plant generally grows in fertile It is found all over . and semifertile areas across India. The tree The tree is believed to have originated in belongs to Caesalpinaceae family. This is a the and Deccan plateau. It perennial plant which can range from dark can also be found in central and Eastern green to grayish green in colour. The Himalayas. It is known to grow at an lenticels are circular and ridged opposing. altitude of 750 m above the sea level6. The The seeds generally are reddish brown plant grows to a height of about 9m in with fibres. Table 3:Vernacular Names 9 Kankeli, SitaAshoka Oriya Ashoka English Ashoka

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[D.T Usha Gowda et al : Ashoka(Saraca Indica), A Plant for Women Health- An Overview]

Assamese Ashoka Kashmiri Ashok Marathi Ashok, Jasund Bengali Ashoka, Oshok Malayalam Asokam Gujrati Ashoka Hindi Ashoka, Vand ichitrah Kannada Ashanke, Kenkalimara Punjabi Ashok Tamil Asogam Telugu Vanjulamu Ashoka in Obstetric and Gynecology: substance is also reported to stimulate Ashoka is one of the most significant uterine contraction. Hence it can be Ayurvedic drug for the treatment of several understood as Ashoka stimulates uterine feminine disorders especially in contraction there by arrest the bleeding menorrhagia. The natives and traditional 10,11.12,13 healers of Chhattisgarh use -Ashoka Ashoka in Dysmenorrhoea (the name given to Saraca asoca) mainly in Ashoka bark in India, used as a uterine treatment of gynecological disorders. It has sedative and hot water extracts stimulating effect on endometrial and the administered to human adult female ovarian tissue. It is useful in internal stimulates the uterus similar to ergot, but bleeding, hemorrhoids, ulcers, uterine without producing tonic contraction.8 affections, menorrhagia especially due to Aqueous extract of the bark is reported to uterine fibroids, meno-metrorrhagia, contain active principles, one stimulating leucorrhoea and pimples. and the other relaxing the plain muscle of Ashoka in menorrhagia: the ileum of the guinea pig,11 the action Ashoka dried bark has been used for can be expected as it reduce the effect of menorrhagia in India. In India Saraca prostoglandins there by reduces the pain. asoca dried bark as well as flower is given Saraca asoca leaves extracts are as a tonic to ladies in case of uterine accountable for analgesic activity. The leaf disorders. Saraca asoca stem bark also extracts like petroleum ether, chloroform, used to treat all disorder associated with methanol and water were investigated for the menstrual cycle. Saraca asoca, dried Phytoconstituents like sterols, glycosides, bark, used as an astringent in menorrhagia, saponins, carbohydrates, alkaloids, to stop excessive uterine bleeding. flavonoids, tannins, protein etc. The Aqueous extract of the bark is reported to analgesic activity of above extract was contain active principles, one stimulating evaluated by using tail immersion method and the other relaxing the plain muscle of and formalin induced pain method in the ileum of the guinea pig. The drug is albino mice. Analgesic activity of reported to stimulate the uterus, making petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and the contraction more frequent and water extracts create dose dependent prolonged. The crystalline glycoside analgesic activity, formalin test is one of

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[D.T Usha Gowda et al : Ashoka(Saraca Indica), A Plant for Women Health- An Overview] the principle analgesic models to compare adherence and biofilm formation with clinical pain. In the early phase of of Pseudomonas formalin test pain arise due to the direct aeruginosa, Staphylococcus stimulation of the sensory nerve fibres by aureus, Streptococcus formalin while in the late phase pain was mutans, Chromobacterium due to inflammatory mediators like violaceum, and Listeria histamine, prostaglandins, serotonin and monocytogenes .Hence it can understand bradykinins 14 that use of asoka reproductive tract Ashoka in Amenorrhoea: infection seems to be beneficial and can Saraca asoca is outstanding ayurvedic validate after clinical trail. medicine for its use as a stimulant to the The chemical constituents of bark of endometrium and ovarian tissue. The Asoka shows presensce of myoinsitol , the estrogenic effect of U3107 (1mg/kg p.o) potent drug form which is widely using in was considered in normal and treatment of PCOS . The administration of ovariectomised rats. U-3107 was this molecule, acting as a direct messenger administered as an aqueous suspension for of insulin signalling and improving the a period of 21 days. The management of glucose tissues uptake, could improve the ovariectomised rats did not expand on insulin resistance status of PCOS women, uterine weight. U-3107 holds estrogenic restoring indeed their hormonal status and activity only in the presence of functional restoring the ovulation process. ovary and is devoid of any progestational A study showed that hot water extract activity.This shows the action of Ashoka administered to human adult females on HPO axis to stimulate ovulation.11 stimulates the uterus similar to ergot, but Ashoka in vaginitis: without producing tonic contraction. It is The ethanolic extract of Saraca asoca also used in treating menorrhagia, as an leaves shows the anti-inflammatory emmenagogue, uterine sedative, and activity. The leaves of Saraca asoca uterine affections as well as used in several determined the antiinflammatory activity preparations related to dysfunction of the against Carrageenan induced paw oedema female reproductive system. Hence a in animal is most suitable test procedure to Asoka gives wide range of opportunity in screen anti-inflammatory activity. The clinical research and in clinical practice. ethanolic extract of Saraca asoca reduced CONCLUSION the paw oedema significantly 16,17 The medicinal importance of the tree as DISCUSSION discussed above evidently prove that The available reference of Asoka in Saraca asoca is one of the most promising Ayurveda and purans texts shows wide botanical which possess a lot of range of use Ashoka in female therapeutic values. Several mechanisms reproductive disorder. Stambaka property are likely to account for the observed of Asoka has prime role in managing pharmacological effects, the most diseases like vaginal inflammation with important being the antimicrobial, abnormal vaginal discharge and antimenorrhagic, uterine tonic, and menorrhagia. To fortify the statement analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxytocin ,Galic acid a chemical constituent in asoka activity. In future the standardization and has proven gallic acid can inhibit motility, stabilization studies on Saraca asoca can

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[D.T Usha Gowda et al : Ashoka(Saraca Indica), A Plant for Women Health- An Overview] be carried out which can help in proving it 11. Bhandary MJ, Chandrasekhar KR, to be a promising source in pharmaceutical Averiappa KMK, J Ethnopharmacol, 1995, industry. 47(3), 149- 158. REFERENCES 12. Kumar Y, Haridasan K, Rao RR, Bull 1.Tuhin Kanti Biswas Asoka (Saraca Bot Surv India., 22 ¼, 1980, 161-165. Indica Linn) - A Cultural and Scientific 13. Middelkoop TB, Labadie RP, Evaluation, Indian journal of history of Naturforch Ser., 1985, 40(6), 855-857 science 7(2):99-114 · December 1972 14. Verma A et al., Analgesic activity of 2. Anonymous, Indian Medicinal -A various leaf extracts of Saraca indica Compendium of 500 Species, vol 5, Orient Linn., Der Pharmacia Lettre, 2010, 2, 352- Longman Pvt Ltd, Chennai, 2006. 357. 3. Nadkarni AK, Dr. K.M. Nadkarni’s, 15.Mitra SK, Gopumadhavan S, Indian Materia Medica, vol 1., Bombay Venkatarangana MV, Sharma DNK and Popular Prakashan, , 2005. Anturlikar SD. uterine tonic activity of U- 4. Kashyapa K, Chand R, The Useful 3107 (even care), a herbal preparation in Plants of India, National Institute of rats, Indian journal of pharmacology, Science Communication and information 1999, 31, 200-203 Resources, CSIR, New Delhi, 2006 16.Nayak S, Sahoo AM, Chakarbarti CK, 5. Pradhan et al., Saraca asoca (Ashoka): A Haque Ml, Antibacterial study of Saraca Review, Journal of chemical and indica leaves extract, IJPRD, 2011, 3(3), pharmaceutical research, 2009, vol.1, pp. 160-163. 62- 71. 6. Sharma PC, Yelne MB, Dennis TJ, 17. ACHARYYA, S., PATRA, A. AND Database on medicinal Plants used in BAG, P.Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Ayurveda, Central Council for Research in Activity of Some Medicinal Plants against Ayurveda and Siddha, Department of Enteric Bacteria with Particular Reference ISM&H, Ministry of Health and Family to Multi-Drug Resistant Vibrio cholerae Welfare (Govt. of India), New Delhi, Corresponding Author: 2005, p. 3, 76-8 Dr.Usha,Associate professor and Head of 7.PK Warrier; VPK Nambier; PM Department,JSS Ayurveda Medical Ganpathy. Some important medicinal College and Hospital plants of the western ghats, India : A Email:[email protected] Profile. International Development Research Centre, New Delhi. 2000; 343- Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: 360. None Declared 8. Biswas TK, Debnath PK, Ind J Hist Sci, Cite this Article as : [D.T Usha Gowda et al : 1972, 7(2), 99-114. Ashoka(Saraca Indica), A Plant for Women 9.http://www.saracaindica.com/Ayurvedic Health- An Overview] www.ijaar.in : IJAAR Pharmacopoeia of India. 2001. Vol. I; VOLUME IV ISSUE IX JUL –AUG 2020 Part-I: 17-18 Page No: 1037-1041 10. Middelkoop TB, Labadie RP, Int J Crude Drug Rec., 1986, 24(1), 41-44.

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