PHARMACOGNOSTICAL STUDY AND LOCALIZATION OF TANNIN IN PENTATROPIS CAPENSIS LEAF- AN EXTRA PHARMACOPOEIAL PLANT

About author :
Chowdhury Saikat*, K Nishteswar, Harisha CR
I.P.G.T. & R.A.  Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar, India
*e-mail : saikatchowdhurygau@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT:                                                                 
Pentatropis capensis Linn. f. (Bullock) is a straggler twining on thorny shrubs and trees, belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae, commonly known as Kakanasa, distributed throughout Bengal and Western Peninsula. Till there was no data regarding the detailed pharmacognostical, localization of tannin content of leaf and its powder. This study deals with the detailed pharmacognostical and preliminary phytochemical evaluation, and identification of area of distribution of tannin material in leaf. The pharmacognostical evaluation shows stomatal index of upper epidermis and lower epidermis are 23 and 37 respectively, palisade ratio is 4 and histochemical tests confirmed the presence of lignin, starch and calcium oxalate crystal. Location of tannin is confined microscopically on palisade parenchyma cells of upper epidermis. The phytochemical screening shows the presence of carbohydrate, flavonoids and tannins.
Key words: Pentatropis capensis, Tannin content, Leaf, Stomatal index, Flavonoids