Allium ascalonicum (MAHA RASONA)

Author is of the opinion that grnjana of brhat trayi texts is maharasona.  Some consider grnjanaka as carrot while others claim it as turnip.  Grnjanaka is compared to ‘lohita palandu’ as well. Dhanvantari Nighantu and raja Nighantu defined grnjanaka as maharasona and/or mahakanda i.e., a variety of garlic.  In his commentary on siddhamantra, Bashpachandra described it as a variety of palandu.  Cakrapani twice considered it as palandu variety (C.S.Su.27/179 & Ci.17/128).  However, in once context he said it may be either rasonaka (not rasona) or sobhanjana (C.S.Ci.12/60).  From these references it is clear that majority were indicating towards a variety of garlic which is identified as A. ascalonicum by scholars like Bapalalji and Thakur Balvant Singhji.

Botanical Description – Root consisting of a fascicle of several small ovate-oblong bulbs; leaves basal only, fistular, shorter than the scapes; scapes 30-60 cm long, tapering from the swollen base; umbels globular, dense, with flowers only.  This is widely cultivated in India.

Part used –  bulbs

Chemical constituents – Two new furostanol saponins, named ascalonicoside A1/A2 (1a/1b) and ascalonicoside B (4), respectively, along with compounds 2a and 2b, most likely extraction artifacts.  The structures of the novel compounds were elucidated as furost-5(6)-en-3,22-diol 1-O–D-galactopyranosyl 26-O-[-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(12)-O--D-glucopyranoside] (1a), its epimer at position 22 (1b), and furost-5(6),20(22)-dien-3-ol 1-O–D-galactopyranosyl 26-O-[-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(12)-O--D-glucopyranoside] (4). High concentrations of quercetin, isorhamnetin, and their glycosides were also isolated and described.

Research – The clinical use of an immunosuppressive cyclosporine A (CsA) is limited by its serious nephrotoxic effect. Evidences have suggested the role of oxidative stress in its pathogenesis. Shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.) has recently been shown to possess antioxidative and free radical scavenging abilities. The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible beneficial effect of shallot extract on renal injury caused by CsA. Male Wistar rats were treated orally with vehicle, CsA (25mg/kg), shallot extract (1g/kg), and CsA plus shallot extract for 21 days. Renal function, histopathology, tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels were evaluated 24h after the last treatment. CsA-induced nephrotoxicity was evidenced by increased blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, but decreased urea and creatinine clearance. The kidney of CsA treated rats exhibited severe vacuolations and tubular necrosis. CsA also induced oxidative stress, as indicated by increased renal MDA and reduced GSH concentrations. Administration of shallot extract along with CsA counteracted the deleterious effects of CsA on renal dysfunction, oxidative stress markers, and morphological changes. These data indicate the protective potential of shallot extract against CsA nephrotoxicity and suggest a significant contribution of its antioxidant property to this beneficial effect (Wongmekiat O, Leelarugrayub N, Thamprasert K.Beneficial effect of shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.) extract on cyclosporine nephrotoxicity in rats. Food Chem Toxicol. 2008 Jan 26).