Abstract

PHARMACOGNOSTIC STUDY OF EUPHORBIA ANTIQUORUM LINN. ROOTS: HYPERGLYCEMICPLANT

Sreelalitha D.*, V. Madhavan, S. N. Yoganarasimhan and H. Padmalatha

ABSTRACT

Euphorbia antiquorum Linn. belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae is well known for curing a variety of ailments such as diabetes, abdominal disorders, oedema, leprosy, psychosis, coryza, anaemia. The present study deals with the pharmacognostic evaluation including examinations of morphological and microscopic characters, ash values, powder analysis, extractive values, moisture content and fluorescence analysis. Preliminary phytochemical screening was also carried out. Transverse section of the root showed the presence of cork cells, cortex, fibers, xylem and phloem. Total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, alcohol soluble extractive, water soluble extractive and moisture content were 8.33%, 2.5%, 1.66%, 15.4, 13.8% and 10.6% w/w respectively. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of flavonoids, carbohydrates, phytosterols, fixed oils and fats, phenolic compounds, gums and mucilage. The study contributes to the development of standardization parameters of the plant which helps in the botanical identification and efficient use of Euphorbia antiquorum Linn.

Keywords: Euphorbia antiquorum Linn. Pharmacognostic, Phytochemical, Fluorescence analysis.