PHARMACOGNOSTIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE LEAVES OF STEVIA REBAUDIANA BERT

For the last few centuries, the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana have been used as an efficient substitute for sugar due to its sweetness and almost negligible Glycemic effects. The study concentrates on the pharmacognostic aspects and other anatomical characteristics of the leaves. The study is performed on the plant leaves collected from the medicinal plant garden of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, India. The study is purely concentrated on finding various morphological characteristics and microscopic characteristics of the leaves. The microscopic characterization includes understanding the various anatomical characters of the leaves as well as the identification of the various diagnostic characteristics related to the leaves. Leaf constants, such as the Stomatal index, Stomatal number, Palisade ratio, vein-islet, and vein termination numbers, were also determined. The study also aims to determine various physicochemical parameters such as Moisture content, total ash, and extractive values. Preliminary phytochemical characterization of the aqueous extract of the leaves was also performed.