From ancient to mordern #Archivetogetherness

  SENNA LEAF     Synonyms   Alexandrian senna, Tinnevelly senna, Folia senna.   Biological Source   Senna leaf consists of the dried leaflets of  Cassia acutifolia  Delile ( C. senna  L.) known as Alexandrian senna and of  C. angustifolia  Vahl., which is commercially known as Tin-nevelly senna. It belong family Leguminosae.   Geographical Source   Alexandrian senna is indigenous to South Africa. It widely grows and sometimes is cultivated in Egypt and in the middle upper territories of Nile river. It is also cultivated in Kordofan and Sennar regions of Sudan. Indian or Tinnevelly senna is indigenous to southern Arabia and cultivated largely in Tinnevelly and Ramnathpuram districts of Tamilnadu. It also grows in Somaliland, Sindh and Punjab region.   Cultivation and Collection   Senna plant is a small shrub of 1–1.5 m height with paripinnate compound leaves. Tinnevelly senna is mostly cultivated in well-ploughed,...

  STROPHANTHI     Synonyms   Kombe Seeds, Strophanti Semina, Semen Strophanthi, Strophanthus Seeds.   Biological Source   Strophanthus consists of dried ripe seeds of  Strophanthus   kombe  Oliv. deprived of their awns belonging to family   Apocynaceae.   Geographical Source   It is mainly found in East Africa near lakes of Nyasaland and Tanganyika, Portuguese, Cameroon. The tribal are using this seeds as arrow poison.   Cultivation and Collection   The plants are large, woody climbers, climbing on the large trees in the forests of Africa. Fruit consists of two divergent follicles which are dehiscent and many seeded. Each follicle is 30 cm long, 2.5 cm broad, tapering both at the apex and base. Mature and ripe fruits are collected in the month of June–July. After collection epicarp and fleshy mesocarp are removed and seeds separated from yellow-brown leathery endocarp and awns. Seeds are washed and dried. The seeds ar...

THEVETIA     Synonyms   Yellow oleander, Lucky nut tree, Trumphet flower.   Biological Source   It is the dried seeds of  Thevetia nerifolia  Juss, Syn.  Thevetia   peruviana  Merrill., belonging to family Apocynaceae.   Geographical Source   It is a large, evergreen shrub 450–600 cm tall with scented bright yellow flowers in terminal cymes bears triangular fleshy drupes, containing two to four seeds. Leaves are about 10–15 cm in length, linear acute. It is mainly found in the United States, India and West Indies.   Morphology                                                              Thevetia nerifolia Chemical Constituents   Thevetia kernels mainly contain cardioactive glycosides, Thevetin A, Thevetin B (cerebroside), peruvoside, Nerrifolin, thevenenin (ruvoside...