Phyla nodiflora L. Greene (Verbenaceae) is a medicinal plant commonly known as Ratoliya in Gujarati and Bhujokra in Hindi. Traditionally it is used to cure many diseases like diarrhoea, ulcers, asthma, bronchitis, knee joint pain, gonorrhoea and also there are many reported pharmacological activities like antibacterial, antifungal, antiinflammation, antiulcer, antidiuretic, etc. Thus, it is very essential to lay down quality control parameters so that the therapeutic efficacy of the plant can be maintained. In order to achieve this, in the present work, Phyla nodiflora leaf and stem were evaluated for their physicochemical, phytochemical and pharmacognostic parameters. For phytochemical analysis, different phytoconstituents like saponins, tannins, glycosides, phenols, triterpenes, flavonoids, steroids, etc. were evaluated. For physicochemical analysis, different ash values, extractive values and loss on drying was determined following all standard procedures. Both leaf and stem were rich in phenols, flavonoids and alkaloids; however, leaf had steroids and stem had saponins in maximum amount. The ash values were more in leaf than in stem while loss on drying was almost same (> 10%) in both the parts. Likewise, extractive value was maximum in methanol and minimum in petroleum ether. The diagnostic characters laid down in this study will be helpful for its correct identification and ensure its purity. They are the most simple, easy and cheapest quality control parameters.
