Background: Santalum album L. (Fam. Santalaceae) is a small evergreen tree distributed in South India mainly on the Deccan plateau, especially in Mysore and Tamil Nadu. The heartwood is highly prized and medicinally useful; Santalum album is one of the ingredients in many Ayurvedic and Siddha formulations. Objective: The present study brings out macromicroscopic atlas on heartwood of medicinal plant Santalum album L. Materials and Methods: Sections and powder were observed and photographed under different magnifications with the help of Olympus BX51 Microscopic unit fitted with Olympus Camera. Results: Macroscopically odour and taste, microscopically tyloses, fibres, tailed pitted vessels, uni and biseriate medullary rays, brownish content and oil globules are the unique diagnostic characters reported. Conclusion: The finding of the present study is believed to be helpful in identifying the correct botanical source of the plant in crude form and also standardization of herbal formulation containing sandalwood as ingredient.

The present study is to evaluate macro-microscopically the pericarp of Terminalia chebula Retz. and its marketed formulations. The fruit sample used for the study was purchased from raw drug market, Chennai. The Macro-microscopic characterization was carried by following appropriate method published by standard/official books. The plant material after cleaning and drying properly powdered and passed through sieve No.80 for powder microscopic study. The mounting and staining were carried out by standard methods of prescribed books. Sections were observed and reported as per guidelines and photographed under different magnifications with the help of Fluorescence microscopic unit (Olympus BX51) fitted with camera. The marketed formulations of tablets and Curna comply macro-microscopically with the Pharmacopoieal standards. Pegged fibres, tannin containing cells, starch grains, rosette and cluster crystals of calcium oxalate, sclereides are of various size and shape, abundant stone cells with narrow lumen and branched pits (ramiform) through thick cell wall and vessels with spiral, pitted and reticulate thickenings are the unique diagnostic characters observed under microscope. The study sets the specific macro-microscopic protocols for standardization of the pericarp of Terminalia chebula Retz. and its marketed formulations.

Background: Erythroxylum monogynum Roxb. (Fam. Erythroxylaceae) is a tree growing up to 9 m in dry evergreen to deciduous forests, distributed in South India mainly on the Deccan plateau, up to 3000 ft. The wood oil possesses characteristic pleasant odour and a pungent taste, hence adulterated with sandalwood oil in perfumery. Traditionally wood oil is used for webbing eczema; bark and wood used for stomach ailments, as a stimulant, diaphoretic, diuretic, for dyspepsia and also for continuous fever. E. monogynum is used as adulterant in the herbal drug market for the heartwood of sandal on account of their morphological and organoleptic resemblances. Objectives: A systematic pharmacognostical study of dried stem heartwood of E. monogynum has been executed to identify the microscopical and phytochemical features. Materials and Methods: Morphology, anatomy, powder microscopy and TLC/HPTLC studies were carried out by standard Pharmacopoeial protocols. Results: Surface characters, odour, taste, arrangement of xylem elements in TS, TLS, RLS, fibres, tailed pitted vessels, tyloses, xylem rays, axial parenchyma with brownish content, tracheids, fibre tracheids, prismatic crystal, crystal fibre and oil globules were the unique diagnostic characters observed. HPTLC showed 5, 6 and 11 bands under 254 nm, 366 nm and white light (post derivatisation with vanillin-sulphuric acid) respectively. The denistogram showed 12, 10 and 13 peaks at UV 254 nm, 366 nm and 520 nm after derivatisation. Conclusion:The findings of the present study will be helpful in identification of this raw drug as a whole or as a powder.

Background: Canavalia gladiata (Jacq.) DC. (Family Leguminosae) is a large annual or perennial climber with a terete glabrous stem, native to Indo-Malaysian and also distributed in tropical, subtropical regions. C. gladiata (Jacq.) DC. is generally confused with another closely related species i.e. C. ensiformis (Linn.) DC (Jack bean). The tender pods of both the above species have close similarity in morphology, especially shape and size of fruit, therefore it is difficult to differentiate on their vegetative and also fruiting stages. The plant C. ensiformis mentioned as a synonym of C. gladiata in many of the earlier literature though they are 2 different taxa. Some authors published different colour seeds in the name of C. gladiata. It is doubtful if C. ensiformis (Linn.) DC. or C. gladiata (Jacq.) DC was studied during that analysis. Objectives: A systematic pharmacognostical study has been executed to identify the correct botanical source. Materials and Methods: All the studies were carried out by standard procedures in Pharmacopoeias and other authentic literature. Results: Macroscopically surface characters followed by odour and taste, anatomically TS of the pericarp, plecenta, testa, cotyledon and radical, powder microscopically epidermal cells with stomata and prismatic crystal cystolith, trichomes, testa palisade cells, sclereids with different shape and size, brownish content, starch grains, tracheids, fibres and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate are the unique diagnostic characters observed. HPTLC with different spots having unique Rf values in the pericarp, testa, cotyledon and seeds will be helpful for critical identification of the species. Conclusion: The findings of the present study will be helpful in the identification and differentiation of related species as the whole drug or in powder form.

Background: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn. (Fam.Malvaceae) is a small evergreen shrub cultivated in gardens throughout India. The decoction of flowers is used in Indian system of Medicine for bronchial inflammation, urinary astringent and cardio tonic, to promote growth and to prevent graying of hair. The dried flowers of Rhododendron arboreum Sm. (Fam.Ericaceae) are morphologically looking similar to Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and used as adulterant in the market. Hence, the morphological, Micro-morphological and powder microscopical studies on dried flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Rhododendron arboreum was carried out and reported. Objective: To identify the dried flowers of Hisbiscus rosa-sinensis macro-microscopically and to differentiate it from adulterant Rhododendron arboreum. Methods: The morphology and powder microscopy were observed following standard methods and photographed. Results: The colour, taste, arrangement and appearance of calyx, corolla and stamen, trichomes, calcium oxalate crystals, sclereids, oil globules and pollen grains are found to be differentiating diagnostic characters in raw drug/powdered form of dried flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Rhododendron arboreum. Conclusion: The finding of present study is helpful in standardization of formulation consists of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis as ingredient in their powdered form and also for authentication/identification of dried flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis.