Botanical Name
Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb
Family
Fabaceae/Leguminosae
Synonyms
Pterocarpus marsupium var. acuminata Prain, Pterocarpus marsupium f. acuminata (Prain) Prain, Pterocarpus marsupium subsp. acuminatus (Prain) Thoth., Pterocarpus marsupium var. acuminatus Prain, Pterocarpus marsupium f. acuta Prain, Pterocarpus marsupium f. biloba (Roxb. ex G. Don) Prain, Pterocarpus marsupium subsp. marsupium.
Regional Name
English : Indian Kino Tree, Hindi : Vijayasara, Bija, Sanskrit : Bijaka, Pitasara, Asanaka, Bijasara, Urdu : Bijasar, Punjabi : Chandan Lal, Channanlal, Assamese : Aajar, Bengali : Piyasala, Pitasala, Gujrati : Biyo, Kannada : Bijasara, Asana, Kashmiri : Lal Chandeur, Malayalam : Venga, Marathi : Bibala, Oriya : Piashala, Tamil : Vengai, Telugu : Yegi, Vegisa.
Part Used
Heart wood
Description
Asana is distributed in India and Sri Lanka. Within India it is found in the hilly regions throughout the Deccan Peninsula (Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu) and extending to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa with altitudes ranging from 250-1200 m. Asana is a moderate to large sized, deciduous tree, upto 30 m high and 2.5 m in girth, with straight clear bole. Drug occurs (Heart wood) as irregular pieces in variable size and thickness, golden yellowish brown with darker streaks, tough, very hard, moderately heavy, fracture, difficult to break but brittle, taste, astringent.
Phytoconstituents
Main constituents of Asana are Alkaloids and resin. It contains- pstilbene, pterostilbene, catechin, epicatechin, pseudobaptigenin, isoliquiritigenin, dihydrochalcone, propterol, pterosupin, marsupsin, marsupol, marsupinol and pterocarpols A and B. Resin contains- kino tannic acid, pyro catechin and epicatechin
Ayurvedic Properties
Rasa : Katu, Tikta, Kasaya, Guna : Laghu, Ruksa, Vipaka : Katu, Virya : Usna, Karma : Kushaghna, Rasayana, Kaphapittasamaka, Galadosaghna, Kesya, Tvaccya, Stambhana, Raktasodhana
Ayurvedic Applications
Krmiroga, Kustha, Medodosa, Prameha, Pandu.
Medicinal Uses
Hartwood of asana is useful in abscesses, boils, ulcers, scabies, skin diseases, diabetes, anaemia, bleeding and diarrhoea, eczema, psoriasis, dysentery, intestinal worms, urinary problems, excess of kapha and obesity.