Colchicum

Synonym: Meadow saffron seeds, autumn crocus

Biological source: It consists of the dried ripe seeds of Colchicum luteum Baker and Colchicum autumnale Linn.,

Family: Liliaceae.

Geographical source: Europe, like England, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Poland, Yugoslavia, and India (in Western Himalaya and Kashmir regions).

History:

• In the medieaval times, Arabian people were using it for treatment of gout.

• First appeared in the London Pharmacopoeia in 1616

Cultivation, Collection and Preparation

Altitude: 1000 - 3000 m

Propagation method and period: Seeds, corms

Collection: The fruits are collected before dehiscence and dark seeds are separated, processed and graded. The corms are isolated and the adhering scales and coats are removed.

Storage: The corms are sliced transversely and dried below 65°C.

Macroscopic characters:

Colchicum Seeds

Colour: Reddish-brown testa.

Odour: No odour

Taste: Bitter and acrid

Shape: Circular

Size: seeds are 2 - 3 mrn in diameter,

Colchicum Corm

Colour: Yellowish-brown

Odour: None

Taste: bitter and acrid

Shape: Sliced form which are reniform and ovate

Size: 2 - 3 cm in diameter

Fracture: short fracture,

Chemical constituents:

Colchicum seed contains 0.2 to 1% of amino alkaloids and corm contain 0.8% of

• Colchicine

• Demecolcine.

• Tropolone or cycloheptatrien-ol one ring structure.

Colchicine (C22 H25 06N) is obtained as pale yellow crystals, amorphous or in powder form. It has a bitter taste and is odourless.

Colchicine, R=COCH₃, Demecolcine, R=CH₃

Uses:

Treatment of gout and rheumatism.

Also possesses antitumour activity.

As a chemical agent for bringing the polyploidy (increase in number of chromosomes) and hence used in horticulture and cultivation of medicinal plants.

Dose

Colchicine: 500 – 650 mg, orally 1 - 3 times a day, orally

500 mg to 1 mg,1 - 2 times a day, intravenously