Carissa caradas and Carissa spinarum (karamarda DVAYA)

Karamarda is quoted under the Hridya dasaimani by Caraka. Sushruta described it under Kantaka Panchamula. BhµavamiÜra and Raja Narahari mentioned two varieties viz., Karamarda & Karamardika. The former is C. carandas and the later is C. spinarum Linn. (C. diffusa Roxb). Rasa Sastra texts accepted it under Amla Varga.

Botanical Description (C. carandas) – It is a sprawling semi-vine shrub; Leaves are from one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half inches long, very dark green, shiny and opposite and they have large spines; Small fragrant three-quarter-inch white flowers are produced from early spring through late fall and the clusters of small purplish to black fruit ripen; Fruit size is variable, but most fruits are about three-quarters of an inch in diameter with a few seeds. Fruits usually occur in clusters somewhat resembling large purple grapes.

Botanical Description (C. spinarum) –  An erect thorny shrub, with forked branches, 2-3 metres in height; wood, very hard; bark, light brown to green; thorns, 3.2 cm long, brown to greenish at the base and deep brown towards the tip. Leaves – ovate, 4.5 cm long, 2.5 cm broad, leathery; venation – reticulate pinnate; margin – entire; petiole 3 mm long; leaves exuding a white latex, when plucked from the stem.  Flowers – short-stalked, sweetly scented, bisexual, complete, ebracteate, cyclic, actinomorpbic, their colour varying between white and camellia rose; inflorescence, terminal or a corymbose cyme, with about 10 flowers; calyx, polysepalous, with 5 sepals, green, companulate, 2 to 3 mm, long; corolla, tubular at the base, dilated at the top, five-lobed, glabrous, white, the dilation of corolla 8 to 9 mm; androecium, with 5 stamens, each 2 to 3 mm long, inserted near the neck of the tubular portion of the corolla; gynoecium, one, superior, 7 to 8 mm long, with a spindle-shaped stigma.  Fruit, an ovoid berry, 9 mm in length, 6 mm in diameter. Seeds, lanceolate, 5 to 6 mm in length, 4 mm in diameter, black.

Part Used– Fruit

Research–

(1) The alcoholic fraction of the roots of C. carandas caused a significant fall in BP in cats both in depth as well as in duration (Chatterjee & Ray, 1965).

(2) The alcoholic extract of root, stem and leaf of C. carandas and C. spinarum showed positive inotropic activity on hypodynamic guniapig heart and isolated papillary muscle preparation of Cat (Vohra & De., 1963).