Comparative Pharmacognostical Studies of Leaves of Three Cassia species

摘要

The genus Cassia belongs to family Caesalpiniaceae consists of about 400 species of which 45 are found in India and widely used for medicinal purposes. This genus contains mostly trees, shrubs or under-shrubs and contains pharmacologically active chemical constituents and is used in therapeutic. In present study leaves of three species of Cassia viz. C. fistula, C. occidentalis and C. tora are selected for comparative pharmacognostic studies. The main aim of this study is to compare pharmacognostic parameters of leaves of these three species for establishment of pharmacognostic profile of the leaves that will help in sample identification and standardization of quality and purity. The study has been carried out as per standard procedure of Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia of India and WHO guidelines of quality control of medicinal plants to establish the diagnostic keys based on the macroscopic and microscopic characters and physicochemical constants like loss on drying, ash value, extractive value, volatile oil contents, foaming index and swelling index. The result of these studies showed that all these species differ in macro and microscopic characters and the physicochemical constants.