Abstract

PHARMACOGNOSTICAL ANALYSIS AND THIN LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY (TLC) PROFILE OF GLORIOSA SUPERBA (LANGALI)

Dr. Ankita Singh, Dr. Ramesh Chandra Tiwari*, Dr. Bhawana Mittal and Dr. Naveen Kumar

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Abstract

Nature serves as the ultimate source of combinatorial chemistry, providing several remedies for numerous aliments. Studies suggest that nearly two-third of the world’s herbal species possess therapeutic properties, and these plants have been the integral part of our Indian system of medicine (TSMs), promoting traditional healing since the dawn of human civilization. For the exploration of plant-derived compounds, Pharmacognosy helps in investigating its physical and chemical properties, identifying their bioactive constituents, understanding their therapeutic effects, and ensuring their safety and efficacy. This study aims to establish various organoleptic and pharmacognostical standards that will assess the purity, safety, and efficacy of Gloriosa superba Moola (Roots), a toxic plant, before and after undergoing the shodhana(purification) process. The prepared sample of both Shodhita and ashodhita langali moola were studied organoleptically for its appearance, colour, odour, and taste. The pharmacognostical investigation determined key parameters such as moisture content, total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, water soluble extractive value and alcohol soluble extractive value of the drug. Following this, phytochemical screening was carried out to detect the presence of various phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, glycosides, tannin, saponins, Steroids, which contribute to the drug’s therapeutic properties. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis further confirmed the presence of these bioactive phytoconstituents and hence, highlighted distinctive diagnostic markers in both (untreated) ashodhita and (treated) shodhita samples of langali. The findings provide valuable insights into the quality and stability of both the samples of Langali. Hence, in this context it can be used for future researches and quality assessment of both the sample of langali i.e., before and after shodhana.

Keywords: Gloriosa superba, Organoleptic study, physicochemical analysis, phytochemical analysis, Thin-layer chromatography.