Punica granatum (DADima)

It is one of the extensively used vegetable drug (Phala varga Dravya) in the therapeutics by Brihat Trayi. The seeds (with pulp) are used as Hridya while the fruit rind is specially used in the treatment of Grahani, Atisara & PravŒhikŒ. Fresh juice of its flowers will be used as nasal drops in the management of epistaxis (NœsŒgata Raktapitta).

Different varieties– Classically we come a cross the sweet (Madhura) and sour (Amla) varieties of DŒÎima (Dha. Ni.). Kaiyadeva and Bhavamishra three varieties of DŒÎima viz., SvŒdvamla, Madhura & Amla. But we come across different hybrid and seed-less varrities of Pomegranate in the market.

Botanical Description–It is shrub or small tree, deciduous, glabrous, often with spinescent branclets. Leaves- opposite or subopposite, often fascicled on short petioles, oblong or obovate. Flowers- terminal or axillary, solitary, large showy, scarlet or orange-red; calyx coriaceous, persistent, prolonged above the ovary, free part companulate; ovary inferior. Fruits- large globose, crowned by the somewhat tubular limb of the calyx, indetiscent, with a coriaceous rind; pulp red and juicy, sometimes white. Seeds- angular, test a coriaceous. (Flowers in April-June and fruits in June-August usually).

Distribution– Cultivated throughout India; wild in the north-west region.

Major chemical constituents–

Fruit peels- tannins, viz., punicalin, punicalagin etc.

Seed- estrone, punicic acid

Stem- malvidin pentose glucosides, tannin, ursolic acid etc.

Part Used–Fruit, fruit rind, root bark, floral bud

Dosage–Fruits juice 20-50 ml, decoction 40-80 ml, rind or bark powder 3-5 g.

Research works–

(1) The peel extract moderately stimulated the ighantuy activity of isolated non-gravid rat uterus (Dhawan & Saxena, 1958).

(2) Fruit skin given along with diet for 4 weeks to rats and guinea pigs showed antifertility effect. It did not offect the mating behaviour but pseudopregnancies were observed in the treated animals (Gujral et al., 1960).

(3) Anti bacterial activity of fixed oil from seeds and stem bark extract is reported (Chopra et al., 1960 & Trivedi and Kazmi, 1979).

(4) Antifungal activity of the extracts of bark, fruits, pulp, flowers and leaves is reported (Charya et al., 1979).

(5) The alcoholic extract showed ighantuyy activity (dose-dependent) through inhibition of transformation of eggs to filariform larvae of Haemonchus contortus (Vishwa Prakash et al., 1980) & Singhal, 1983).

(6) The aqueous extract of fruit skin (0.4ml/day) was found to be highly toxic leading to mortality in all the 6 male house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in 72 hours. The female sparrows, however, showed less mortality (2 out of 6). The extract appears to be neurotoxic (Singh & Lal, 1980).

(7) Punica granatum extract in a dose of 1.0g/kg orally increased pentobarbitone sleeping time bay 27.0% in rats. The extract (1&2g/kg orally) provided protection against castor oil-induced diarrhoea in rats. The relaxant effect was observed on isolated rabbit’s ileum and rat’s uterus (Annual Report, CCRAS, 1978-79).