PHARMACOGNOSTIC, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL EVALUATION OF LEAVES OF TRAGIA INVOLUCRATA LINN.,

Background: Tragia involucrata Linn., leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of liver disorders, eczema, viral infections, headache, respiratory infections, etc. There is lack of documentation of safety data and non-availability of quality control standards for the ayurvedic traditional medicines. Aim & Objective: The aim of the study was designed to determine the pharmacognostic, phytochemical and physico-chemical standardization of leaves of Tragia involucrata Linn. Materials & Methods: The Pharmacognostical parameters such as organoleptic evaluation (macroscopy) and microscopy (T.S of Leaf) were done to identify the morphological and anatomical structures. For powder microscopy, coarse powder is treated with routine reagents to identify the diagnostic features of the plant. Preliminary phytochemical screening, physicochemical parameters was determined as per the prescribed guidelines and fluorescent behaviour of coarse leaf powder was also determined. These parameters are useful tools to differentiate the powdered drug material from the adulterated ones. Results: The macroscopical characters such as colour, shape, size, odour and surface characteristics were observed. Transverse section of leaf and powder microscopy revealed the presence of spongy parenchyma, paracytic stomata, glandular trichomes, etc. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of tannins, volatile oils, flavonoids, saponins, triterpenes and glycosides. Physicochemical parameters such as moisture content, ash value, extractive value, etc and fluorescent behaviour of leaf powder were determined. Conclusion: The data collected from the present study will definitely contribute to develop quality standards of Tragia involucrata and serve as a baseline for planning future studies.