This document discusses three types of crude drugs: myrobalan, pale catechu, and black catechu. It describes the biological source, chemical constituents, uses, and chemical tests to identify each type. Myrobalan comes from Terminalia chebula fruits and contains tannins. Pale catechu and black catechu are extracts from Uncaria gambier and Acacia catechu respectively, and both contain catechin and catechutannic acid. They are used as astringents and in tanning leather. Chemical tests can identify the presence of these drugs using reactions with lime water, ferric chloride, vanillin-HCl, and other reagents.

1. ASTRINGENTS
Prep ared By: M s . Div ya Kan oj iya
As s istant Profes s or in Ph armacogn osy
Dep artment o f Pharmacy, Su man d eep V id yapeeth
Deemed to b e Un ivers ity, Pip aria, Vad od ara .

2.  B I O LO G I C A L
S O U R C E ,
C H E M I C A L
C O N S T I T U E N T S
A N D
T H E R A P E U T I C
E F F I C A C Y O F
T H E F O L LO W I N G
C AT E G O RY O F
C R U D E D R U G S :
• MYROBALAN
• PALE CATECHU
• BLACK CATECHU
Content:

4. MYROBALAN
Figure: Myrobalan fruits Figure: Terminalia chebula

5. Size 2 to 3 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide
Shape Ovate with longitudinal wrinkles
Colour Yellowish brown to brown
Odour Slight odour
Taste Mucilaginous, Astringent and slightly bitter
Extra
features
Fruits are drupe.
It is hard and stony with four to six longitudinal ribs.
Seeds are pale yellow in colour and 1.6 to 2.3 cm long

6. Chemical constituents:

7. Uses:

8. Marketed Products:

11. Pale catechu Black catechu
Synonyms Gambier, pale catechu, catechu. Cutch, black catechu, kattha.
Biological
source
Gambier or pale catechu is a dried
aqueous extract produced from the
leaves and young twigs of Uncaria
gambier Roxburgh., belonging to
family Rubiaceae.
Black catechu is the dried aqueous
extract prepared from the
heartwood of Acacia catechu
Willdenow, belonging to family,
Leguminosae.

12. Figure: Uncaria gambier flowering branch
Figure: Twig of Black catechu

13. Geographical
source
• U. gambier is a native of erstwhile
Malaya. It is cultivated in
Indonesia, Malaysia, Sumatra,
Bornea, and Singapore at elevation
up to 150 m.
• The plant is used mostly for the
production of the drug, which is
marketed through Singapore.
• A.catechu is common throughout
the tract from Punjab to Assam
ascending to an altitude of 300 m.
• It is also quite common in drier
regions of peninsula such as
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, and
Tamil Nadu.
Chemical
constituents
• Pale catechu contain from about 7
to 30% of pseudotannin catechin
and 22 to 55% of a phlobatannin
catechutannic acid.
• Cutch or black catechu resembles
pale catechu or gambier in its
composition. It contains about 2–
12% of catechin and about 25 to
33% of phlobatannin
catechutannic acid.

14. • Both of the about component
constitute over 60% of the drug.
• It also contains catechu red, gambier
fluorescin and quercetin.
• It contains indole alkaloid up to 0.05%,
which includes gambirtannin and its
derivatives.
• Gambirtannin gives a strong
fluorescence under UV light. Catechin
forms white, needle like crystals, which
dissolves in alcohol and hot water.
• Catechutannic acid gives green colour
with ferric chloride.
• The principle fraction of cutch has been
identified as a mixture of catechin
isomers which includes (-) epicatechin,
acatechin, DL-acacatechin, L-acacatechin
and D-isoacacatechin.
• It also contains 20–30% gummy matter,
catechin red, quercetin and querecitin.
• It yields 2–3% of ash.

15. Uses • Pale catechu is medicinally used
as local astringent. In diarrhoea, it
is used as general astringent.
• It is largely used in various
countries of east for chewing with
betel leaf.
• Large proportion of gambier is
used in dyeing and tanning
industries.
• It is used for tanning of animal
hides to convert it to leather.
• Cutch is used in medicine as
astringent. It cures troubles of
mouth, diseases of the throat and
diarrhoea.
• It also increases appetite. In India
and eastern countries, it is used in
betel leaves for chewing.
• In dyeing industries, cutch is used
for dyeing fabrics brown or black.
• It is also used in calico printing.
Marketed
products
It is one of the ingredients of the preparation known as Koflet lozenge
(Himalaya Drug Company) as cough expectorant, and Gum tone (Charak
Pharma Pvt. Ltd.).

17. Sr.no. Test Observation Inference
1. Aq. Extract + lime water Dark brown colour which on
standing turns to red.
Pale catechu may
be present.
2. Aq. Extract + 5% FeCl add
alkali like NaOH.
Dark green colour. Pale catechu may
be present.
3. Powder drug +Vanillin-
HCl
Pink colour. Pale catechu may
be present.
4. Aq. Extract + ammonium
sulphate + alkali
Green colour which turns
violet.
Pale catechu may
be present.
Ch emical test for Pale catech u

18. Sr.no. Test Observation Inference
5. Aq. Extract + lead acetate. White buff ppt Pale catechu may
be present.
6. Aq. Extract + KMNO4 Decolorization of KMNO4 Pale catechu may
be present.
7. Aq. Extract + Br2 water. Decolorization of Br2
water
Pale catechu may
be present.
8. Alcoholic extracts filter
(filtrate) + NaOH solution +
light petroleum ether.
Two layer separate out
and petroleum layer
shows green fluorescence.
Pale catechu may
be present.
9. 0.1 gm of sample + extract
with 0.5 ml of CHCl3. Filter it
Green colored filtrate. Pale catechu may
be present.

19. Sr.no. Test Observation Inference
1. Aq. Extract + lime water Dark brown colour which on
standing turns to red.
Black catechu may
be present.
2. Aq. Extract + 5% FeCl add
alkali like NaOH.
Dark green colour. Black catechu may
be present.
3. Powder drug + Vanillin-
HCl
Pink colour. Black catechu may
be present.
4. Aq. Extract + ammonium
sulphate + alkali
Green colour which turns
violet.
Black catechu may
be present.
Ch em ical test fo r B lac k catec h u

20. Sr.no. Test Observation Inference
5. Aq. Extract + lead acetate. White buff ppt Black catechu may
be present.
6. Aq. Extract + KMNO4 Decolorization of KMNO4 Black catechu may
be present.
7. Aq. Extract + Br2 water. Decolorization of Br2 water Black catechu may
be present.

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