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Cascara Bark ( Q----' ,~--')

Cascara Sagrada is the dried stem bark of Rhamnus Purshiana, family
Rhamnaceae. It is collected at least one year before being used medicinally.

Geographical source
Cultivated in North California, in the state of Washington and Oregon, and also in
Kenya. The Plant is small tree.

Morphology of the bark
Cascara Sagrada occurs in single quills, in curved or channeled pieces 2-20 cm
long, 2 cm wide and up to 4 mm thick. The outer surface is smooth dark purplish brown
and marked with transversely elongated whitish lenticels. The outer surface is covered
with silvery grey patches of lichens, giving the drug a grayish white color, bryophytes as
mosses and liverworts are attached to the outer surface. The inner surface is yellow to
reddish brown, sometimes black in badly dried samples. It also shows longitudinal
striations, sometimes faint transverse corrugations. The fracture is short in the cork and
cortex and shortly fibrous in phloem. The bark has slight characteristic odor and
persistent nauseously bitter taste.

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Histology
A transverse section in the bark shows the following:
a) Cork consists of numerous layers of small thin walled fattened cells arranged in
radial rows and having yellowish brown contents which give a purple color with
alkalies.
b) The cortex is composed of an outer zone of flattened collenchyma followed by a
large zone of thin walled flattened cellulosic parenchyma. Some of them
containing clusters of the calcium oxalate, or starch. Also in the cortex are
scattered small and large groups of yellow thick walled sclereids.
c) The secondary phloem is transversed by 1-5 seriate medullary rays, the sieve
tubes are arranged in tangential bands alternating with the phloem fibers and
phloem parenchyma. The fibers usually occur in small groups which are
surrounded with parenchyma cells, each containing prism of calcium oxalate
forming a crystal sheath, occasional clusters of calcium oxalate are scattered in
the phloem parenchyma. The phloem parenchyma as the medullary rays contain
yellowish brown anthraquinone contents which are colored purple with alkalies.
The primary phloem is often collapsed. There are no companion cells in the
phloem of Cascara.
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Powder Cascara:
The powder is brownish yellow to olive brown with a faint odor and persistent
bitter taste. It is characterized by numerous fragments of lignified bast fibers, fibers in
groups accompanied by crystal sheath; sclereids in groups or isolated ; fragments of
yellowish brown cork, numerous brown fragments of parenchyma , crystals of calcium
oxalate , clusters and prism. The clusters are 5 to 20 microns and up to 45 micron in
diameter.
Fragments of phloem tissue crossed by medullary rays. Small starch granules up to 5
micron can be seen.
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Constituents
Up to 2% anthraquinone glycosides of which about 90% are C-glycosides and
10% are O-glycosides. Also contain Cascarosides [O and C diglycosides] and some free
anthraquinones.

Test for identification
a) Test for free anthraquinone :
i. Extract the powder drug with boiling water, cool and then filter.
ii. Shake the filtrate with equal volume of ether or chloroform.
iii. Separate the organic layer and then shake it with dilute ammonia. The aqueous
layer is colored rose-red.

b) Test for combined anthraquinone:
i. Boil about 0.1 gm powder with 4ml. alcoholic KOH for 2-3 minutes,
dilute with 4 ml. of water and filter.
ii. Acidify the filtrate with dilute HCl, filter , cool and shake with ether or
benzene
iii. Separate benzene later into a clean test tube and shake with 2ml. of
dilute ammonia solution. An orange red to deep orange-red color is
produced in the aqueous layer.
iv. This test is known as modified Borntragers test.
Uses
Cascara is used as a laxative; bitter tonic in small doses.
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Allied Drugs : Frangula Bark (-;~V' ~;-' ,~-)
It is the dried bark of the Rhamnus frangula, family Rhamnaceae, stored at least
one year before being used medicinally.

Geographical source:
England and Europe.

Differences from Cascra bark
a) Smaller in size and occurs in single or double quills.
b) Cork is purplish crimson in color. On scrapping the outer surface of the bark,
a crimson inner cork is exposed and seen.
c) Lenticels are more numerous.
d) Absence of lichens, mosses or liverwort in the outer surface.
e) Absence of sclereids.
f) Gives negative test for free anthraquinone, but positive for combined
anthraquinone.
Constituents
Up to 6% of anthraquinone glycosides, O-glycosides type, mainly glucofrangulin
which on hydrolysis produces frangulin.
Uses
Frangula is used as agreeable laxative, preferable to Cascara on account of its less
disagreeable taste.
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Quillaia Bark
It is the dried inner bark of Quillaja saponaria, family Rosaceae. It is indigenous
to south America, especially Chili and Peru. It is known as Soap Bark

Morphology:
The bark occurs in large flat pieces up to 100cm in length, 10-15 cm in width and
0.6 cm in thickness. It may also occur in small chips. The outer surface is pale-brown or
yellowish white with reddish brown patches where the rhytidoma has not been
completely removed. It is longitudinally striated. The inner surface is white or yellowish
white, smooth and very hard. The fracture is splintery and laminated and shows numerous
glittering crystals of calcium oxalate. The bark is almost odorless, but its powder is
extremely irritating and sternutatory causing sneezing, the taste is acrid and unpleasant.

Histology
The bark consists mainly of:
Secondary phloem composed of alternating tangential bans of fibers and sieve
tissues with parenchyma. Fibers in irregular groups occasionally isolated with thick
strongly lignified walls. Phloem parenchyma contains numerous starch granules and large
prisms of calcium oxalate. Medullary rays are mostly 3-4 seriate, parenchymatous, but
having the cells abutting on the groups of fibers, are generally sub rectangular, regularly
thickened. An occasional cell may contain cluster, small prisms or micro crystals of
calcium oxalate. If the outer dead dark tissues (rhytidome) are present , they may consist
of alternating bands of cork and dead secondary phloem which are of reddish- brown
color as the contain red-brown contents.

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Powder Quillaia:
It is pink-white or buff in color, bitter acrid taste and sternutatory odour.
Microscopically it shows fragments of characteristic thick walled, lignified knotted and
bent fibers which are sometimes forked at its end. Many prisms of calcium oxalate are
scattered or inside the phloem parenchyma. Few thick walled lignified sclereids can be
seen. Starch is almost present the parenchyma.

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Constituents:
Up to 10% saponins, starch and calcium oxalate.
Test for identification
a) When powdered Quillaia is shaken with water, a persistent forth is formed,
indicating the presence of saponins.
b) Aqueous extract of the powder produce haemolysis of red blood cells.
Uses:
As an emulsifying agent for external preparation containing tars and volatile oils.

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Galls --'
Galls are pathological outgrowth, formed on the twigs of the Dyers oak, Quercus
infectoria, family Fagaceae as a result of deposition of an egg by the gall wasp Alderia
gallae tinctoriae family Cynipidae. The galls are collected before the escape of the insect .

Geographical source:
Asiatic Turkey and exported from Aleppo and therefore known as Aleppo galls.
Description:
Gals are sub spherical in shape about 12-20 mm in diameter. Externally they are
bluish green or olive-green in color, galls are hard and sink in water. On the surface there
are small bluntly conical projections. Galls have no odour but an astringent taste,
followed by a sensation of sweetness.
Constituents:
As principle constituent from 50-70% of tannin which yields gallotannic acid, and
up to 2% Gallic acid.
Test:
Aqueous extract of galls give dark blue-black color with ferric chloride solution.
Uses:
Local astringent in treatment of hoemorrhoids. In tanning, dying and manufacture
of leather and ink