European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

A SYSTEMATIC PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF VITEX TRIFOLIA LINN PLANT

Megha S. Shah*, Prajakta Malave, Deepali Srivastav and Dr. Rajesh J. Oswal

ABSTRACT

Nature is present everywhere in order to fulfil the demands of the human. Along with the food, clothes and shelter nature also provides innumerable plants with medicinal benefits. Only the thing for the man is to search and discover the secrets of nature and use it for the benefit of all the beings. One such medicinal plant is Vitex trifiolia. Vitex is the largest genus in the family Verbenaceae which comprises of 250 species which is distributed all around the world. It is a shrub found in the coastal areas hence also known as sandy shores plants. It is commonly known as chaste tree and is reported to have good medicinal values in traditional system of medicines. It is less than 5 meters in height with the stems covered with soft hairs. Vitex trifolia is a herbal plant hence its often preferred over the allopathy drugs. The present study deals with pharmacognostical examination includes the morphological, microscopical characters and physical constants of vitex trifolia leaves including determination of loss on drying, ash values and extractive values. The preliminary phytochemical screening of various leaf extracts was also carried out and it is revealed the presence of various phytoconstituents like carbohydrates, flavonoids, protein and amino acids, tannins, phytosterols and saponins. The results of the standardization may throw immense light on the botanical identity of the plant Vitex trifolia which may furnish a basis of judging the authenticity of the plant and also to differentiate the drug from its allied species and detect adulterants. V. trifolia have a heat producing property, which results in the increase in the bile secretions, development of skin colour. The plant completely eliminates the kapha, vatha, pitta produced disease. V. trifolia displays a potent cytotoxicity against a wide range of cancer cell lines via different modes of molecular actions. It is an analgesic, vascular relaxation, antimalarial, trachea- spasmolytic, mouse- repelling properties.

Keywords: Sandy shores, Vitex trifolia, Pharmacognostic, Pharmacological, Phytochemistry.