ISSN: 2576-4772
Authors: Rehman S, Mustaqeem S*, Khan S, Ayyub A and Razi A
Medicinal plants play a vital role for the development of new drugs as they are not only used as traditional medicine but also as trade commodities, meeting the demand of distant markets. Almost 70% modern medicine in India is derived from natural products. The bioactive extract should be standardized on the basis of active compound which than undergo safety studies. Medicinal plant Strychnos Nux-Vomica L. belongs to the genus Strychnos of the family Loganiaceae and have been coveted since ancient times. It has a rich history of traditional use for centuries and throughout the world as a remedy for treating various ailments such as paralysis, muscle weakness, itching, skin diseases epilepsy, rheumatism, insomnia, diabetes and many more due to the presence of various phytochemicals mainly strychnine and brucine. Stem, bark and dried ripe seeds of Strychnos Nux-Vomica L. have been used extensively for the above purposes. In present study, a comprehensive and meticulous analysis is done to identify and ensure precise characterization and identification of the pharmacognostical constants of leaves of Strychnos nux vomica L. which are employed in the treatment of numerous ailments to facilitate a deeper understanding and accurate validation of its therapeutic properties. Macroscopic and microscopic indices were used as per the pharmacopoeial guidelines to standardize the identification characters of selected medicinal plant, which can be used for future references. The results showed that anomocytic, kidney shaped stomata between polygonal to irregular shaped epidermal cells are found in Strychnos Nux-Vomica L. leaves, beneath which lies numerous parallel palisade mesophylls filled with chloroplast pigments. Hence, the observations of the current study can be useful for identification, standardization and authentication of the plant.
Keywords: Strychnos Nux-Vomica Linn.; Pharmacognostical; Identification; Unani Medicine
