PHARMACOGNOSTICAL EVALUATION AND PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF DELONIX REGIA RAFIN. STEM BARK

Delonix regia Rafin. belonging to family Fabaceae and subfamily Caesalpinioideae is flowering plant native to Madagascar and East Africa. Delonix regia reported to have anti-diarrhoeal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and antimicrobial activity. The present study was carried out to establish the pharmacognostical studies, physico-chemical parameters along with preliminary phytochemical screening of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethylacetate, acetone, methanol and aqueous extracts of Delonix regia Rafin. stem bark. The macroscopical and microscopical characteristics of drug powder were studied. The transverse section of stem bark indicated the arrangement of various cells in cork, cortex, phelloderm and pith region. The preliminary phytochemical screening of various extracts revealed the presence of carbohydrate, protein, glycosides, flavonoids, sterols, phenolic and tannin compounds. The physico-chemical parameters such as total ash, acid insoluble ash, water insoluble ash and sulphated ash (8, 2.005, 3 and 1.4 %w/w respectively), loss on drying (45 %w/w) extractive values, foaming index, swelling index and fluorescence analysis of stem bark powder were studied. These studies will be helpful to establish standards for quality, purity and sample identification of Delonix regia Rafin.