Pharmacognostic Evaluation Of Mussaenda Philippica On Leaf

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants has gained more importance because of its natural origin and high therapeutic
significance. The various species of the genus Mussaenda has many novel phytochemical constituents which has
high pharmacological activities such as anti- inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial etc. useful for the treatment
of many health disorders. The aim of this work was to use the quality control parameters in the evaluation of the
leaf of this plant. The leaves were collected, identified, air dried and pulverized. Standard procedures were carried
out to obtain microscopic features of the fresh and powdered samples, micromeritic, chemomicroscopy,
flourescence properties, soluble extractive values, moisture contents and ash values. The results of the microscopy
study of the fresh leaf revealed an hypostomatic distribution of stomata with paracytic stomata on the abaxial
surface of the leaf only, stomatal number of 55.8, stomatal index of 23.06%, and epidermal number of 179.8, while
the adaxial surface had an epidermal number of 251.9. The plant sample of the leaf also possessed unicellular
trichomes. Micromeritic properties of the powdered leaf samples showed bulk volume of 34.33±0.33, tapped
volume of 27.00±0.00, bulk density of 0.27±0.00, tapped density of 0.34±0.00 , angle of repose of 34.4°, Carr’s Index
of 20.89±0.74, Hausner’s ratio of 1.25±0.01. Chemomicroscopy study on the leaf powder revealed the presence of
lignin, starch, cellulose, calcium oxalate crystals, oil, mucilage and protein. The moisture content was 11 %w/w.
Results for the total ash, acid-insoluble ash and water-soluble ash values were 9 %w/w, 1%w/w and 5 %w/w
respectively. Results for the ethanol-soluble, methanol-soluble and water-soluble extractive values were 18%w/w,
17 %w/w and 25 %w/w respectively. The above results could be used to establish pharmacopoeial standard of fresh
and powdered drug of M. philippica.