STANDARD ANATOMICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL ATLAS OF ASHOKA (SARACA ASOCA (ROXB.) WILLD.), A BARK USED IN INDIAN SYSTEM OF MEDICINE
B. R. Lalitha and Mallya Suma V.*
ABSTRACT
About: Ashoka (Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willd.) popularly used as uterine tonic in Ayurveda. Wide medicinal usage and changed environmental condition made drug obtainable hardly. Many easily available bark drugs found adulterated with this. Hence it is planned to take standard quality out prints of the bark as per protocol. Materials and Methods: Matured bark of test drug collected, cleaned properly from extraneous matter. Macro-microscopic, physico-chemical standards and HPTLC were conducted. Results: Freshly collected bark looks rough, greyish green on outer surface with warty protuberances of underlying lenticels, having channeled reddish yellow inner surface. Microscopically bark shows outer many layers of cork cells, inner cortex with polygonal cells, layered with few stone cells as wells scleranchymatous cells. Phloem fibres filled with prismatic crystals and narrow strips of medullary rays found in transverse section. Physico-chemical standard and HPTLC photo documentation reveal about moisture, mineral matter, extractive values. At 254 nm drug has shown 5 peaks, whereas at long UV 366nm drug shown 7 componentsand at 620nm drug shown 12 peaks.
Keywords: Ashoka (Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willd.) physico-chemical, HPTLC.
[Full Text Article]
[Download Certificate]
Impact Factor : 8.181 
