Abstract

PHARMACOGNOSTIC PROFILE OF LEAVES OF SESBANIA BISPINOSA (JACQ.) W. F. WIGHT FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF QUALITY PARAMETERS

*Neelam Parab and Sharda Vaidya

Abstract

The present study was aimed at pharmacognostic evaluation of leaves of Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W. F. Wight. This study is important and lays down parameters for standardization and authentication of medicinal plants with the help of which adulteration and substitution can be prevented. The pharmacognostic investigations were carried out in terms of morphological, organoleptic, microscopic, physicochemical studies and behaviour of leaf powder with different chemical reagents to identify the diagnostic features of the leaves. The detailed pharmacognostic studies have given a clear idea regarding the different cell characters and various constants. Determination of physical constant values involving moisture content, ash values and extractive values, qualitative chemical and quantitative leaf constants have given standard numerical values for comparison and detection of adulterants. The important diagnostic features of the leaf include anomocytic stomata, cystoliths in palisade layer, annular and spiral vessels, prismatic calcium oxalate crystals, starch grains and pericyclic fibres. These results would also be useful for compilation of a suitable monograph for a plant under study. As no reports are available on pharmacognostic studies of leaves of Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) and in order to ensure the use of only genuine and uniform material in preparation of herbal formulation, present work on standardization paramaters was carried out. Our findings will serve towards establishing pharmacognostic standards on identification, purity, quality and classification of the plant, which is gaining significance in plant drug research.

Keywords: Leaf constants, Microscopic, Organoleptic, Pharmacognostic, Physicochemical, Sesbania bispinosa.