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| Latin Names |
English Names |
Sanskrit Names |
Hindi Names |
Abelmoschus moschatus
Malvaceae /
Hibiscus abelmoschus
Linn.
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Musk Mallow,
Ambrette Plant |
Latakasturi,
Gandapura, Kasturilatika |
Kasturidana,
Muskadana |
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| History |
This plant
is cultivated for its musk-scented seeds that are used in perfumes
and medicine. In Malaysia, it is mixed with cosmetics and used
to perfume hair.
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| Habitat |
The plant grows
wild all over the Deccan regions, and the hilly regions of Karnataka.
It is also found at the foothills of the Himalayas.
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| Morphology
Description (Habit) |
A.moschatus
is an erect, annual or biennial, hirsute herb. The leaves are polymorphous:
the lower, ovate and acute; the upper, palmately 3-7 lobed; the flowers
are bright yellow, large, usually solitary and axillary, sometimes
in few-flowered racemes; the capsules are ovate, acute and hispid;
the seeds are sub-reniform, black and musk-scented. The crushed seeds,
on steam distillation, yield a volatile oil, known as musk seed oil
or ambrette seed oil.
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| Principal
Constituents |
The oil from the
seeds is rich in linoleic acid and contains a-cephalin, phosphatidylserine,
its plasmalogen and phosphatidylcholine plasmalogen. The characteristic
musk-like odor of the seed oil is mainly due to the presence of a
ketone, ambrettelide, a lactone of ambrettolic acid1. The
chemical constituents of the essential oil of the seeds are: trans-2-trans-6-farnesyl
acetate and ambrettolide, cis-2-cis-6- farnesyl acetate, cis-2-trans-6-farnesyl
acetate, ethyl hexadecanate, ethyl laurate and trans-2-trans-6-farnesol2.
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| Pharmacology |
The mucilaginous
seeds are emollients and demulcents. The mucilage has shown anticomplementary
activity in human serum and hypoglycemic activity in mice3.
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| Indications |
The seeds are valued
medicinally for their diuretic, demulcent and stomachic properties.
They are also said to be stimulant, antiseptic, cooling, tonic, carminative
and aphrodisiac.
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| Product
Range |
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Himcolin, Rumalaya, Tentex forte (VigorCare for Men), Rumalaya Vet, Tentex
forte Vet.
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| References |
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Guenther, VI, 174; Krishna & Badhwar, loc. cit.; Wehmer, II,
756, West et. al., 201.
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Hort Abstr, 1993, 63, 607.
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Duke, 1985, 1-2; Cravo et. al., Flav & Fragr J, 1992,
7, 65; Chem Abstr, 1989, 111, 146284.
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