Pharmacognostic and Preliminary Phytochemical Investigations on Pterospermum Acerifolium Leaves

Pterospermum acerifolium plant is considered to be laxative, anthelmintic, stomachic and used in inflammation, blood disorders, ulcers and leprosy. The leaf was studied for pharmaconostic evaluations, including examination of morphological and microscopic characters, determination of leaf constants, ash values and extractive values. The morphological studies revealed that the leaf is dark green color with a glabrescent texture and characteristic odour. In the microscopic studies, the leaves showed the presence of long, lignified stellate and four armed trichomes, anomocytic and paracytic stomata, 2 layers of radially elongated palisade cells below upper epidermis, collenchyma, vascular bundles and spongy parenchyma. The total ash, acid insoluble ash and water-soluble ash values were observed to be 4%, 1.4% and 2.5% respectively. The leaves were successively extracted with Petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and water in increasing order of polarity. Preliminary phytochemical investigation showed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, triterpenoids, carbohydrates and flavonoids.