Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

Family ◮ Meliaceae.
Habitat ◮ Sub-Himalayan tract,
Assam and throughout hilly regions
of Central and South India.
English ◮ Red Cedar, Toon, Indian
Mahogany tree.
Ayurvedic ◮ Tuunikaa, Nandi Vrksha.
Siddha/Tamil ◮ Tunumaram,
Santhana Vembu.
Folk ◮ Toonaa.
Action ◮ Bark—astringent, antidysenteric,
antiperiodic. Flowers—emmenagogue.
Leaf—
spasmolytic, hypoglycaemic, antiprotozoal.
Bark and heartwood yielded tetranortriterpenoids,
including toonacilin.
Heartwood also gave a coumarin, geranylgernalol
and its fatty esters. Toonacilin
and its 6-hydroxy derivatives are
antifeedant.
Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) Loud.
Synonym ◮ C. libani Barrel. var.
deodara Hook. f.
Family ◮ Pinaceae.
Habitat ◮ North-western Himalayas
from Kashmir to Garhwal, from
1,000 to 3,500 m.
English ◮ Himalayan Cedar, Deodar.
Ayurvedic ◮ Devadaaru, Suradruma,
Suradaaru, Devakaashtha,
Devadruma, Saptapatrika, Daaru,
Bhadradaaru, Amarataru, Amaradaaru,
Daaruka, Devaahvaa,
Surataru, Surabhuruha.
Unani ◮ Deodaar.
Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) Loud. 133
Siddha/Tamil ◮ Thevathaaram.
Action ◮ Bark—decoction is
used internally as astringent,
antidiarrhoeal and febrifuge.
Essential oil—antiseptic (used in
skin diseases).
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of
India indicated the use of the heartwood
in puerperal diseases.
The wood contains sesquiterpenoids;
exhibits sapasmolytic activity. Alcoholic
extract of the wood showed
marked anti-inflammatory activity in
mice; alcoholic extract showed antibacterial
activity.
The wood possesses diaphoretic, diuretic
and carminative properties, and
is used in fevers and in pulmonary and
urinary disorders.
Himalayan Cedarwood Oil contains
two major sesquiterpenoids—alphaand
beta-himchalenes. Presence of butyric
and caproic acids is also reported.
The oil shows in vitro antibacterial and
antifungal activity. It increases vascular
permeability. Needles, on steam
distillation, yield a volatile oil, rich in
borneol and its esters. An alcoholic extract
of the needles shows significant
antibacterial activity against diptheria
bacteria. The juice shows antiviral activity
against tobacco mosaic virus and
potato virus.
The bark contains 8-C methyltaxifoline,
dihydroquercetin, 8-C methylquercetin,
quercetin, sitosterol, and
tannins 8.25%, non-tannins 6.95%
(varies with the age of the tree). An
alcoholic extract of the bark shows
significant activity against diptheria
bacteria; aqueous extract of the dried
bark showed anti-inflammatory activ-
C