Pharmacognostical Investigation of Ricinus Communis Stem

Castor (Ricinus communis L, Euphorbiaceous) is needed in the United States to supply caster oil for the hundred of products using this versatile chemurgical raw material. 40-45 thousand tons of castor oil and derivatives are imported each year. Ricinus communis is a common medicinal plant in Ayurveda and is used several part of country for various medicinal properties like the oil of leaf and root are used against various ailments. The oil is useful for skin diseases. Castor oil seeds have tonic effect. The oil is emollient, laxative and it can be used in cases of inflammation of the intestine or dysentery. The present work attempts to summarize the Pharmacognostical characters of the Ricinus communis stem. Ash and extractive values, chemical test, HPTLC, Histological color reactions and fluorescence analysis were also carried out. INTRODUCTION: Natural products continue to form a significant proportion of drugs in current use and those of under investigation. It has been estimated that 56% of the lead compounds for medicines in the British National Formulary are natural products or derived form natural products 1. Phytochemical investigations carried out during the 1970s and 1980s have discovered a number of alkaloids and other pharmacologically active substances that are currently being studied and that can possible serve as models for new synthetic compounds 2. There are about 1250 Indian medicinal plants, which are used formulating therapeutic preparation according to Ayurveda and other traditional system of medicine 3 .