Anantmula consists of the dried roots of the plant Hemidesmus indicus, belonging to the family Asclepladaceae. It is also known as anantmool, sariva and Indian sarsaparilla.
It is distributed throughout the India. Roots are yellowish brown in colour with vanilline like taste and aromatic, sweetish odour.
Roots contain volatile oil and glycosides like b-sitosterol, a & b amyrins, lupeol, tannins and saponins. The volatile oil contains p-methoxy salicylic aldehyde as a major constituent. Roots also contain coumarino-lignoids, hemidesminine and hemidesmin 1.
The drug should be protected from the attack of insects and rodents. It should be kept away from heat and moisture.