ADVERTISEMENTS:
In this article we will discuss about Ipecac:- 1. Botanical Name of Ipecac 2. Family of Ipecac 3. Description.
Botanical Name of Ipecac:
Cephaelis Ipecacuanha (Brot) A. Rich
ADVERTISEMENTS:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Family of Ipecac:
RUBIACEAE
Description of Ipecac:
Small straggling shrub, 1 m. high with a slender rhizome bearing spreading gnarled roots 10-15 cm. long having thick brownish bark. Leaves opposite, elliptic, stipulate, 7-10 cm. long and 3-5 cm. broad; stipule intrapetiolar, Flowers regular, hermaphrodite, small and white in terminal involucrate cymes.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Calyx tube short 5 toothed. Corolla tube short, 5 lobed. Stamens 5, inserted on the corolla tube. Ovary inferior, 2 celled, with basal erect ovule in each cell; style short with 2 stigmatic branches. Fruit small, globose or oblong, with two 1 seeded plan convex pyrenes.
The plant is indigenous to Brazil and adjacent countries. It is cultivated on a commercial scale in Malaya and to a small extent in India, Burma and Sri Lanka. In India it was first introduced in the Botanic Garden, Sibpur in 1866 and cultivation was started in Rungbi and other parts of Sikkim in 1868. From the Botanic Garden, Sibpur plants were distributed to Assam and Andamans, Burma, Malaya and Sri Lanka in 1877.
It is now grown in India at Mangpoo in Darjeeling district, Bosego and Sinduhani in Jalpaigooree district of North Bengal, Jorhat and Srimangal in Assam, Bilaspur in Orissa and Kollar in the Nilgiries.
There are several commercial varieties, e.g. Hio, Matto-grosso, Minas and Manaos. These come from Brazil. The best quality of drug is obtained from Matto-grosso which grows wild. Indian and Johore varieties are cultivated in India and adjacent countries.
Ipecac plant is slow-growing. It thrives best in forest areas on sandy loam rich in humus, potash, magnesia and lime. Soil should be well drained. Annual rainfall of 2500 mm. to 3000 mm. well distributed throughout the year is ideal for successful cultivation.
Maximum summer temperature should not exceed 35° C while minimum winter temperature should be above 10°C in places where Ipecac is to be cultivated. The plant is not frost resistant and is grown under partial shade.
The plants are propagated from stem or root cuttings, planted in beds about 30 cm. apart. The beds are higher than the ground level and should have good drainage. The plants can be propagated from seeds but the growth is slow. Roots are harvested when the plants are about 3 yrs. old. The alkaloid content in the roots is higher than 2% at that time.
The plants are dug up any time of the year. The roots are washed and dried in shade. A healthy plant produces 6-8 good roots. Ipecac is emetic, diaphoratic and expectorant. It is an excellent remedy in amoebic dysentery.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It is an apitiser and digestive in small doses. Five alkaloids are obtained from the roots and of these emetine and cephaeline are very important. Emetine is non-phenolic while cephaeline is phenolic and therefore toxic. This is converted to emetine by methylasion.
In India production of the roots is about 700 kg. per annum giving about 7 kg. of emetine, the annual requirement of the country being about 1000 kg. The roots obtained from Mangpoo are however considered of very good quality. Cepbaelis acuminata Karst of Central America is a good substitute of Ipecac and is called Carthagena Ipecac.
