Open AccessMACROSCOPIC AND MICROSCOPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF RAW HERBAL DRUG MAMAJJAKA [ENICOSTEMA AXILLARE SUBSP. LITTORALE (BLUME) A. RAYNAL]
Author(s) -
Pradeep Kumar,
B. Vinay Kumar,
Sumeet Gairola
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plant archives/plant archives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2581-6063
pISSN - 0972-5210
DOI - 10.51470/plantarchives.2021.v21.no1.228
Subject(s) - xylem , trichome , botany , biology , traditional medicine , apocynaceae , starch , food science , medicine
Enicostema axillare subsp. littorale (Blume) A. Raynal belonging to the family Gentianaceae, known as Mamajjaka in Ayurveda, is a medicinally important plant used to treat Madhumeha or diabetes mellitus. The plant has high demand in the Indian herbal drug market and is used in various herbal preparations. The present study was conducted to characterize dried herbal samples of E. axillare subsp. littorale botanically. The botanical characterization involved macroscopic and microscopic studies on the herbal samples. Qualitative and quantitative microscopic characters were studied, and digital photographs of transverse sections (T.S.) and powder cell structures were taken. In T.S. of the stem, the vascular region characters such as the appearance of xylem tissue, lumen diameter of xylem vessels, and powder characters of aerial parts such as abundance and size of starch grains, prismatic crystals, presence of stomata, and trichomes were studied. The characters identified in the present study can be used to identify the herbal samples of E. axillare subsp. littorale in fresh as well as in dry forms.