INTRODUCTION

Kingdom Plantae – Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Rosidae
Order Apiales
Family Apiaceae
Genus and species Ammi majus
 INTRODUCTION
• Effective drug in treating Leucoderma or vitiligo ( common in
tropical region ) and psoriasis.

• Origin- Egypt.

• Distribution- Commonly found in tropics.

Iran, Syria, Palestine and in the basins of Mediterranean sea.

• Introduced to India in 1955 in small scale.

Indian states- Jammu and Kashmir, UP, Gujarat, TN.
• Also grown as winter ornamental.
 BOTANY

• Annual herb, height 0.8-1.2m.

• Leaves- Decompound light
green alternate leaves,
pinnately placed with
lanceolate to oval segments.
• Inflorescence- Axillary and
terminal compound cyme,
white flowers.
• Fruits- Ribbed ellipsoid,
greenish brown when
immature and turning reddish
brown at maturity.
• Bitter and extremely pungent.
 Introduction to India
• A.majus and A.visnaga by
UNESCO at FRI, Dehradun.

Contrasting characters
• Difference in epicarp
microcharecters and
cuticle ornamentation
pattern between
powdered fruit samples of
the two spp.
• Used to identify the
striations of cells in the
inter-coastal species which
is a distinguishing
character.
 CROP PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT
Soil
• Sandy loam and clay loam
best.
• Hardy plant, thrives on
degraded soils.
• Cannot tolerate water
logging.
Climate
• Winter annual.
• Mild cool climate early
growth.
• Warm weather at maturity.
• Micro propagation
• Plantlets from indirect
organogenesis form calli of
cotyledonary leaves of
Ammi magus supplemented
with IAA, Kinetin and casein
hydrolysate.
• Direct organogenesis in MS
medium with IAA( 0.5-10
mg/l) and Kinetin(2mg/l).
• Rooting on MS medium
with IBA(0.2mg/l) and
glutamine(100mg/l).
 LAND PREPERATION AND PLANTING
• Lands are divided into furrows.
• Spacing 45X60cm.

MANURES AND FERTILIZERS

• Flurocomarins responds well to nitrogenous fertilizers,
temperature and day length.
• Basal dose- 30:30:30 NPK/ha.
• 50 Kg N – 2 splits, 30 DAS and flowering for loamy soils of pH7.

AFTERCARE
• Irrigate during winter.
• Two more irrigations during March and April.
• 1 or 2 hoeing
 CROP PROTECTION
• No serious pests. Occurrence Root knot nematode.
• Aspergillus ochraceous- Heavy damage to fruits during
storage, with deleterious effect on xanthotoxin content.

• A.niger, A.flavus and Fusarium oxysporum – Slight damage

during first 3 months of storage. Later drastic reduction.

• Viral mosaic disease – Yellowing of leaves with a mosaic

pattern.
 HARVEST AND POSTHARVEST HANDLING
• Fruits are officinal parts.
• Flowering- February, primary umbel matures in 35-45 days.
• Harvesting intervals 2-4 days.
• Staggered harvesting.
• Timely harvest 25% more yield.
• Delayed harvesting – Shedding of seeds, major problem.
• Planofix@15ppm at flower initiation and fruit formation
stage, reduce seed shattering and increases yield.
• Harvesting at mature but green stage yield maximum
furocoumarins, xanthotoxin in fruits.
• Yield – 9000-2000 Kg/ha.
 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
• Chief active principle – Crystalline furocoumarin, xanthotoxin.
• Fruits – Ammidin ( an imperatiorin ) and majidin ( a bergarpten ).
• Essential oil of seeds – Furocoumarin 60%, xanthotoxin,
bergapten,imperatorin, isoimperatorin, isopimpinellin,
beraclenin and marmesin. Xanthotoxin 20%.

Fruits – Glucosidal principle 1%, tannin 0.45%, oleoresin 4.7%

and acrid oily liquid 3.2%.

• Xanthotoxin marketed as Oxsoralen – Drug for leucoderma, used

in suntan lotion.
• A. visnaga contain Khellin ( Furocoumarin ).
• Khellin is more in immature fruits , then flowers and mature
unripe fruits. Continued………
• Khellin – Antiarteriosclerotic, anthelmintic, antiseptic,
antidiabetic and antiuterogenic activities, and is a
vasodialator with coronary dilatory action.
• Used to cure angina pectoris and bronchial asthma.
• Commercially available as tablets.
• Side effects – Vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, vertigo and
fatigue.

• Besides Khellin – Narcissin, ammidin, khellinin, rhampetin,

visnagin, isorhamnatin and rhamnazine are isolate from
fruits of A.visnaga.
 USES
• Fruits referred as seeds are effective drugs against Leucoderma,
cutaneous psoriasis.
• Dried fruit powder – To treat vitilago.
• ‘PUVA’ – Treatment by combination of psoralens ( ammoidin )
and UV rays to treat vitilago.
• Volatile oil – Pronounced antibacterial activity against gram
negative bacteria.
• The extract – Moderate fungicidal activity against Gibberella
fugikuroi and Fusarium oxysporum.
• Decoction of fruits – Expells kedney stones and against renal coil.
• Purified extract of fruits – Diuretic and mildly hypotensive.