Pharmacognostical Study of the Fruit Peels of Punica granatum

Abstract

This study deals with Punica granatum fruit peels. This plant was selected because of its popularity and being highly used; it was purchased from herbarium markets of Khartoum Sudan. The study is divided into two parts, the main part is a morph-anatomical study of the fruit peels of the plant because it is important in the identification of the medicinal plant when it is in the powder or broken forms. The preparation of permanent slides was done using wax methods. The results of the morph anatomical studies were described and shown in photomicrographs. Transverse section of the peels of the fruits of P. granatum is formed of one cell thick epidermis covered by a thin cuticle, followed by many layers of small compact parenchyma cells forming pigment layer and several cell thick isodiametric spongy parenchyma cells filling the section. Vascular bundles are small distributed within the ground parenchyma cells; sclerenchyma cells in the form of stone cells were densely distributed on the section of the peel of fruit. Part two includes physiochemical studies of the powder of the fruit peel to determine the percentage values of moisture, ash, acid insoluble ash, alcohol soluble extractives, and water soluble ash.