INTRODUCTION:1-5
Saccharum munja, known as munja is a grass found in arid areas and along river banks in India. The grass is tall, panicles silky and greenish brown. The grass grows in excess and up to 7 feet in height. Leaf sheath shortly silky at extreme base, otherwise quite smooth, straite, pale straw colored, villous on margins at apex with long white hairs usually much longer than proper internode, uppermost sheath sometimes extending beyond the base of panicle. Its white flowers are of ornamental value. The common name of the plant is Kana or Sarkanda or Moonja and is distributed from north and North West India to Pakistan and Afghanistan. There are 24 vernacular names of plant in Sanskrit language such as bahupraja, bana, bhadramunja, brahmanya, chakshuveshtana, darbhavhaya, dridhatrina, durmula, ikshukanda, maunji, munja, munjanaka, munjata, ranjana, sara, shakrabhanga, shara, shiri, sthuladarbha, sumekhala, tejana, tejanavhaya, trinakhaya, vaniraka. Flowering and fruiting are perennial and mostly from October to January. The plant is a large tufted grass and is of little account as fodder plant because cattle and buffaloes eat young leaves only during scarcity of food. The stem is used in making chiks and moorhas.
The flowering scape is woven into winnowing trays (Chhaj) and cover for grain heaps and carts, while the thick sheath next to scape is twisted into strings for weaving bed-streads etc.
Nutritive Elements in Saccharum munja:6-19
Plants possessing their antibiotics properties have been well known since old civilization of Romans, Egyptians and Arabs. The plant barks, leaves, roots, juices, gums, fruits and seeds in heterogenous ground mixture or in solution form are used in the treatment of several diseases. Keeping in view the medicinal importance of Saccharum munja, inorganic nutrients were determined from its stem, flowers and adjacent soils.
Figure 1: Saccharum munja
Table 1: Classification
|
Kingdom/Regno |
Planate (Plants/Piante) |
|
Subkingdom/Sottoregno |
Tracheobionta (Vascular plants/Piante Vascolari) |
|
Superdivision/Superdivisione |
Spermatophyta (Seed plants/Piante con Semi |
|
Division/Divisione |
Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants/Piante Con fiori) |
|
Class/Classe |
Liliopsida(Monocotyledons/Monocotiledoni) |
|
Subclass/Sottoclasse |
|
|
Order/Ordine |
|
|
Family/Famiglia |
Poaceae (Grass family) |
|
Genus/Genere |
SaccharumL. (sugarcane) |
|
Species/Specie |
Munja/Bengalense/Sara |
Table 3 shows that the sodium level in stem (5-10 ppm) is lower than the flower (10-40 ppm), while 10 ppm in their soils. Level of pottassium in stem (40.8-70.9) is higher compared to the level in flowers (0.4-10.4 ppm) 0f the plant and the soils (10-35 ppm). Sodium and Potassium cations perform various electrochemical functions in the human body such as emulsion stabilization, charge neutralization and supply of free energy during cell stimulation. During muscle contraction and nerve stimulation Na+ enters and Ka+ leaves the cell the potential difference across the cell membrane changes temporarily. The ATP (Adenosine triphosphate), the metabolic energy is then needed to pump Ka+ back and Na+ out for normal condition. Na+ and Ka+ stabilize the oil in water emulsion and maintain the solubility of proteins as globulin is insoluble in water but soluble in dilute salt solutions.
The plant stem (24-80 ppm) and flowers (24-120 ppm) has higher levels of calcium as compare to soil (0.14-6 ppm) in which Saccharum munja is planted. Calcium plays an important role as factor IV in blood clotting mechanism. Calcium alongwith thromboplastin is required to convert prothrombin to thrombin, which activate fibrinogen to fibrin network.
The level of magnesium in plant stem (43-430 ppm) and flowers (0.48-48 ppm) is higher than its level in soil (0.21-1.26 ppm). Magnesium plays an important role in the activation of enzymes which transfer phosphate from adenosine triphosphate to adenosine triphosphate which are fundamental and widespread and thus influence all basic life processes such as glycolysis. The physical stability of DNA, chromosomes and ribosomes is also depends on magnesium. Therefore a certain amount of magnesium is required for cell duplication. However there is no deficiency of Mg+2 in the body but during renal failure and alcoholism magnesium deficiency may be there which may cause muscular tremor, hallucination, depression and spasmophilia. Excess amount of magnesium may cause neuromuscular tranmission blockage.
High level of iron (172-860ppm) is present in soil as compared with plant stem (285-704) and plant flowers (218-553). The human body contains 4-6 gm of Fe out of which 1 gm is present in liver and spleen. Iron is present in body as a component of haemoglobin and myoglobin and responsible for oxygen transport and cell respiration.Iron is also present in intracellular cytoshrome enzyme system, which is responsible for energy production.During pregnancy the high intake of iron is required due to iron deficiency. The daily requirement of iron is 10-20 mg if not maintain the deficiency will be there which may lead to hemolytic anemia, stomatitis, listlessness, palpitation, excretion and slow physical activity. The extra intake of iron (above 50 mg) accumulates in the liver in the form of haemosidrin and lead to haemachromatosis having symptoms of gray, skin pigmentation, hepatic enlargement, pancreatic infilteration with diabetes and myocardial diseases leads to heart failure.
Chlorides found in stem (157-203ppm) and a flower (199-500ppm) is higher than the soil (17.8-78ppm). Chloride is absorbed from the soil in the form of chloride ions (Cl-1) without becoming a structural unit and is essential for water balance, regulation in osmotic pressure and acid base equilibrium. It may be used in cell division in roots and leaves.
Bicarbonates in stem (300-710ppm) and flowers
(288-820ppm) as compared to soil (106-600ppm). Pancreatic
secretion consists of an aqueous bicarbonate component from the duct cells and
enzymatic component from the acinar cells and is alkaline in nature due to the
high concentration of bicarbonate ions. This is useful in neutralizing the
acidic gastric acid, allowing for effective enzyme action. Bicarbonate/chloride (HCO
-1/Cl-1)
exchangers regulate intracellular pH in the alkaline range.
Phosphate ions in stem (0.7-1.04ppm) and flowers (0.35-0.8ppm) is higher than soil (0.1-0.25ppm). Phosphater is used in transport of fatty acids within the cell. It is also used in storage and transfer of metabolic energy through phosphate bonds such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP).
Sulphate ions lower in plant stem (86-154ppm) and plant flowers (20-240ppm) as compared to adjacent soil (100-250ppm). Sulphur is also responsible for high energy bond formation as in acetyl coenzyme-A and in derivative of lipoic acid (thioctic acid). The sulphahudryl group (-SH) binds with heavy metals by acting as chelating agent and is used in detoxification mechanism. The example of detoxication agent is “British antileiwisite” which act by binding the arsenic atoms in chlorovinylarsine poison gas. Similarly B-penicillamine act as detoxification agent in lead poisoining.
Organic Constituents1
Stem yields 5.67% of furfural on dry basis.It also yields 19.5% of reducing sugars like glucose, xylose, galactose and rhamnose when digested with sulphuric acid. The hydrolysate contains about 34.5% of fermentable sugars.