Pharmacognostic, Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activity Studies on Cordia Obliqua Willd. Leaf

Cordia obliqua Willd. (Clammy Cherry) belongs to genus Cordia and family Boraginaceae. It possesses a number of traditionally mentioned medicinal activities like purgative, diuretic, antipyretic, anthelmintic, analgesic and hepatoprotective. The present work is related with Pharmacognostic, Phytochemical and antioxidant study of Cordia obliqua leaf. Under Pharmacognostic study various parameters like macroscopic, microscopic and physiochemical parameters were studied as per WHO guidelines. This work will be helpful in authentication of Cordia obliqua Willd. plant. After this successive soxhlet extraction was performed for leaf powder with various solvents in increasing order of polarity like Hexane, Chloroform, Methanol and water. These extracts were used to study presence of various chemical constituents as well as to determine amount of total Phenol and Flavonoids content. Further antioxidant activity study was performed with help of DPPH and H2O2 radical scavenging methods. The leaf methanol extract was found to have maximum amount of Phenols and Flavonoids. In antioxidant activity study, again the results with methanol extract were found better and comparable with standard and it may be due to presence of more amounts of Phenols and Flavonoids. Finally it was concluded that the leaf methanol extract is a good antioxidant and it may also be helpful in other biological activity study. INTRODUCTION: Cordia obliqua Willd. Plant commonly name as Clammy Cherry, belongs to family Boraginaceae. It is a deciduous tree with medium height and found throughout the midHimalayas up to an elevation of 1470 meters. It is also found in other parts of the world like Tropical Australia, New Guinea, Hainan, Philippines, Formosa and Java. QUICK RESPONSE CODE DOI: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.7(11).4669-77 Article can be accessed online on: www.ijpsr.com DOI link: http://dx.doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.7 (11).4669-77 Its fruits are sweet and possess many medicinal activities like expectorant, diuretic, maturant, anthelmintic, antipyretic and analgesic. Also useful in disease of chest, urethra and spleen. Its raw fruits can be used as vegetable and in form of pickle. The fruit’s mucilage can be used as gum for pasting paper sheets and cardboard. A number of phyto-constituents are present in plant like Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, Phenolics, Triterpenes, Tannins, Flavonoids and Phenylpropanoid derivatives. The studies performed on various parts of this plant are anti-inflammatory activity, diuretic activity, hypotensive, respiratory stimulatory activity and antimicrobial activity and a study on efficacy of its gum as sustained release matrix