Quality control constraint of Guizotia abyssinica Cass, source of medicinally useful edible oil seeds

Introduction: Guizotia abyssinica Cass. branched herb with erect, stout stem, commonly known as Ramtil or Niger seed. Seeds are the rich source of oil with high nutritional index. Traditionally the seed powder is used as remedy for cough, oil in cases of rheumatism. Apart from this the seeds are also used for different dishes like chutney, condiments etc. Hence a study has been designed to document pharmacognostic, physicochemical & phytochemical data on above drug. Materials and Methods: Matured seeds were collected, authenticated and used for the study. Macro-microscopy, physicochemical, phytochemical standards and HPTLC marked using proper protocol. Results: Seeds are achene, obovoid and narrowly long like a needle, black with white to yellow scars on the top. Microscopic study shown the presence of epidermis and endodermis filled with alluerone grains and oil globules. Physico-chemical standards mark the purity of the drug. Alkaloid, Steroid, Carbohydrate, Terpenoid & Coumarins were detected as secondary metabolites. HPTLC revealed prominent spots with Rf values 0.54, 0.58, & 0.70 under short UV and 0.45& 0.82 under long UV. Conclusion: Pharmacognostic values depicted in this paper are a measure of its quality standards