talamulika :
Morphology:
Drug occurs in transversely cut pieces of 2.5 to 5 cm long, cylindrical, straight to slightly curved, cut surface 1.0 to 4.5 cm in dia.; external surface blackish-brown, cut surface cream coloured; surface with numerous shallow wrinkles and transverse cracks; with a few rootlets and root scars; nodes and internodes prominent; taste, mucilaginous and slightly bitter.
Histology:
Shows a narrow strip of cork, consisting of 5 to 7 rows of light brown cubical to rectangular cells; secondary cortex consists of thin-walled, parenchymatous cells, densely filled with starch grains and acicular crystals of calcium oxalate, either isolated or in bundles, in a few cells; a few small, round to tangentially elongated, lysigenous cavities also found scattered in this region; a few vascular bundles found embedded in cortical region with phloem towards outer side, and consisting of a few xylem elements; ground tissue consists of parenchymatous cells, some of which contain acicular crystals of calcium oxalate; numerous fibro-vascular bundles found scattered throughout the region, mostly towards peripheral region having phloem, almost encircled by xylem vessels having annular and spiral thickenings; starch grains simple, rounded to oval and also compound of 2 to 4 components, measuring 4 to 21 n in dia., present in cortical and central region, a number of deep red, resin canals found throughout the region, mucilage in the form of colourless mass found in a few cortical parenchymatous cells