Chakramarda / Sen sickle / Cassia tora

Description

Chakramarda is a wild herb well known for its medical attributes in Asian countries. In Ayurveda, this plant is known as “Dadrugani vati”, which is useful in the treatment of various types of skin diseases such as ringworm, skin infection, leucoderma, pain, leprosy and allied skin disorders. In modern science, various ethnomedicinal properties are discovered such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, immunostimulant, antitumor, hepatoprotective, oxytocic and many more are in the queue.

Synonyms

• Andagaja
• Gajakhya
• edagaja
• cakri
• Punnada
• tarvata
• Mesahvaya

Other vernacular names

• In Hindi – Cakavada, Pavanda
• In English – Sickle senna, ringworm, coffee pod, stink cassia
• In Malaysia – bunga siam
• In gujarati – Kuvadio
• In Bengali – Cavuka
• In Tamil – Tagharai
• In Telugu – Tantemu
• In French – cassia gum

Taxonomic classification

• Kingdom – Plantae
• Order – fabulous
• Family – Fabaceae
• Gender – Cassia
• Species – C.tora linn.
• Filo – spermatophytes
• Class – magnoliopsida

Habitat

Chakramarda is an annual shrub that grows throughout the tropics. It is a common rainweed, especially in vacant places, roadsides, forest edges, etc. It is generally found in warm places. The plant grows as a weed in the Himalayan regions up to 1450 m. It is found in the plains of UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orisa, Maharashtra, Bengal, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Morphology

Chakramarda is a short, erect, soft, semi-woody annual herb, 1 to 2 meters high. The leaves are 6.0 to 12.5 cm long, leaves in pairs of 3, membranous, ovate, subordinate glands in the last two pairs, showing sleepy movements at night. The flowers are bright yellow, usually in pairs. The pods are thick, have 4 angles and measure between 15 and 25 cm long. The seeds are green, rhombohedral in shape.

Chemical composition

Irimeda has various phytochemicals due to these compounds and shows a variety of pharmacognostic activities. These are:

Classic categorization

Chakramarda is one of the most important plants vividly described in Ayurvedas in almost all nighantu due to its medicinal properties. These classic contexts are the following:

• Bhavaprakash nighantu / Hareetakyadi varga
• Raj nighantu / Satahvadi varga
• Kaiyadeva nighantu / Aushadi varga
• Dhanvantari nighantu / Karaveeradi varga
• Charaka/Shaka varga

ancient verse

Shloka – 1

चक्रमर्दः प्रपुन्नाटो ददचनः |
||
|
हृदौ
|
गुल्मकासक्रिमिश्वासनाशनं कटुकं स्मृतम् ||

Reference – Bhavaprakash nighantu / haritakyadi varga / shloka 210-212

Shloka interpretation – First of all, this shloka explains the synonyms of chakramarda like Punnata, Dadrughna, Mesahvaya, Edagaja, Cakri and Punnada. This shlokas also describes the various properties like light to digest (laghu), sweet (svadu), dry (rooksha), balances the fire and air elements of the body (pittanilahara), acts as a cardiac tonic (hrudya hitkari), decreases kapha. It is used for the treatment of asthma and chronic respiratory disorders (shwasa), skin diseases (Kushta), worm infections (krimi), ringworm infections (dadru).

Shloka – 2

चक्रमर्दः कटुस्तीव्रो मु
||२ ००||

Reference – Raj nighantu / Satahvadi varga / shloka 200

Shloka interpretation – Various medicinal properties of chakramada are explained in this shloka as it helps in treating skin infections, leprosy, ulcers and pain. It also helps in wound healing.

Ayurvedic properties

• Rasa (Flavor) – Katu (spicy)
• Guna (Properties) – Laghu (easy to digest) and Rooksha (dry)
• Vipaka – Katu (spicy after digestion)
• Veerya (power) – Ushnah (hot)

Chakramarda is widely used to treat flawed tridoshas.

Practical uses

Chakramarda shows enormous applications in both traditional and modern medical systems. These are some of the applications detailed below:

• The external application of chakramarda, sarjarasa, etc. mixed with sour gurl it is a remedy for the Sidma type of Kushta.
• The chakramarda root is finely ground and inserted into the vagina. Helps facilitate delivery.
• Fresh leaves crushed with alcohol and vinegar are applied externally to treat eczema and psoriasis.
• Aqueous decoction of Chakramarda leaves used for the treatment of fever.
• Chakramarda seeds contain anthrax glucoside which gives it a laxative effect.
• Chakramarda seeds help in digestion by removing toxins from the body.
• The leaves are crushed and applied topically in case of a bee sting.
• Paste seeds and radish leaves are used for the treatment of ringworm.
• In Korea, the hot seed extract is used to treat liver diseases.
• In Chinese medicine, the seeds are used for antiasthenic, diuretic, antihypersensitive and ocular activities.

Used part

Seeds, leaves, roots.

Dose

• Seed powder: 1-3g
• Leaf juice: 5-10 ml

Ayurvedic products

There are several classic formulations prepared from chakramarda such as:

• Dadrugani Vati
• Edagajadi Lepa
• Chakramarda Tailam