Ethnobotanical Leaflets
12: 461-468. 2008. Studies
on some Pharmacognostic Profiles of Bauhinia purpurea Linn. Leaves (Caesalpinaceae) M. Sugumaran*
and T. Vetrichelvan Department of Pharmaceutical chemistry,
Adhiparasakthi College of Pharmacy, Melmaruvathur –
603 319, Tamil Nadu. *E-mail: murugesansugumaran@yahoo.com Issued Abstract The leaves of
Bauhinia purpurea Linn. were
studied with the aim of determining the following pharmacognostical parameters for this
species: Macroscopical characters; Leaf constants; Physico-chemical
constants; Extractive values; Colour; Consistency; Extractive values with different solvents;
Micro chemical tests; Fluorescence characters of liquid extracts and leaf
powder after treatment with different chemical reagents under visible and UV
light at 254nm&366 nm; Measurement of cells and tissues; Bulk
density angle of repose; and, Powder
microscopy. Hopefully, the determination of these characteristics will aid
future investigators in their pharmacological analyses of this species. Preliminary pytochemical studies on
different extracts of the leaves were also performed. Introduction Bauhinia
purpurea Linn. (Caesalpinaceae
) is an ornamental plant found throughout subtropical, Numerous types of biological activities are attributed to bauhinia species. B. purpurea is the most important species used to treat many ailments in traditional system of medicine. (Table 1 ).4-7 It is also reported for its antidiarrhoeal , anticancer and thyroid gland stimulating properties.8-10 Hence, country traders often subject it to adulteration/ substitution . Table 1. Ethnomedical
information for bauhinia purpurea Linn.
But, no pharmacognostical work has been done on a drug plant of such potential until the present time. Therefore, the aim of the present investigation has been to study the important pharmacognostical characteristics of the leaves of bauhinia purpurea in both whole and powdered form. Materials and MethodsPlant Material The plant material was
collected from the Methods The macroscopical characters (size, shape, colour, odour, taste, surface, texture, venation, margin, base, and petiole ) of the leaves were observed11. Then, for powder microscopical study, the powder was stained with phloroglucinol and concentrated HCl to study the lignified cells, lignified parenchyma, trichomes, fibres, xylem vessels, mesophyll, palisade cells and stomata, etc. The powder was also stained with N/50 iodine solution to detect the presence of starch. A small portion of powder was mounted in water to identify calcium oxalate crystals11. Quantitative microscopy was determined by methods prescribed by Trease and Evans12. Results
Analysis and Discussion Colour: Green; Odour: Odourless; Size:8-15 cm in diameter&10-20cm long; Shape: Shallowly cordate; Taste: Slightly bitter; Surface: Glabrous; Texture: Coriaceous; Apex: marginate ; Margin: Sinuate; Venation: Parallel ; Petiole : Size: 4-4.5 cm ; Base: Stipulate. The physical constant values of
total ash (7.05%), acid insoluble ash (2.72%), water insoluble ash (2.98%),
sulphated ash (7.91%), loss on drying (12.87%), crude fiber content (27.76%)
of leaves which are specific to the plant identification. The methanol and
water soluble extractive values were 35.52% and 24.4% respectively, which
indicated the nature of constituents present. Quantitative microscopical
study also give valuable information regarding specific leaf constants such
as vein islet no (15) , vein
termination no (65), palisade ratio (78), stomatal no (3), and stomatal index
(20), etc. Fluorescence studies on extracts revealed different shades of
green fluorescence under UV light at 254 nm. The size of the cell elements
like trichomes (66.5 -117.04 -159.6 ´ 13.3 -14.3 -26.3m), starch grains
(6.65-14.63-26.6m),
fibers (399 -687.8-997.5 ´ 26.3-41.2-99.3) and xylem vessels (93.1 -133.4 -226.1´
26.3 - 46.7 - 67.5 70.8m) were recorded. Powder of P. dulce is pale green, fine and tasteless but with a characteristic odour. Other features of the powder were the presence of covering trichomes, xylem vessels, paracytic stomata, calcium oxalate crystals in the form of sheeth and starch grains, etc. The behaviour of leaf powder (Table 2) upon treatment with different chemical reagents was also studied. Table
2. Behavior of
powdered leaves on treatment with different chemical reagents. Reagents Colour developed in day light Powder as such Green 1N NaOH Greenish
brown Picric acid Yellowish
green Glacial acetic acid Yellowish
green 1N Hcl Pale
yellowish green 1N HNO3 Pale
yellowish green 5%Iodine Yellowish
green 40% NaOH +few drops of 10% lead
acetate Yellowish
green HNO3+ Ammonia solution Yellow Con H2SO4 Brown 5% Fecl3 Reddish
brown 10% sodium hydroxide +copper
sulphate Green Acetic acid +Con H2SO4 Green Acetic acid +Ferric chloride +Con H2SO4 Dark
blackish brown Antimony
tri chloride Green
Ammonia solution Pale
green Table 3. Fluorescence characters of the
powdered leaves of bauhinia
purpurea under UV light . Treatments Colour Developed Under UV Light
Short (254nm) Long (366 nm)
Powder as such Buff Pale
green
1N HNO3 Dark
green Pale
green
5N NaOH in water Pale
green Pale
green 1N Hcl Pale
brown Pale
green 50% HNO3 Green Green Acetic acid Grey Pale green
Picric acid Dark
green Pale green
Fecl3 (5%w/v aqueous solution) Black Bluish black N/20 Iodine
Black Greenish black 50% H2SO4 Dark
green Yellowish green Ethanol Green Green
1N NaOH in ethanol Reddish
yellow Yellow
Methanol Green Dark green Powder mounted with nitro cellulose Grayish
white Greenish brown Powder treated with NaOH in
methanol, dried and mounted with nitro cellulose Yellowish
green Dark green Powder treated with HCl, dried and
mounted with nitro cellulose Greenish
yellow Yellowish green Powder treated with NaOH in water and
mounted with nitro cellulose Brown Reddish brown Powder treated with Antimony tri
chloride Green Brown Table 4.
Fluorescence analysis of
different extracts of bauhinia purpurea.
Colour
Developed Under UV light Extract Long ( 366 nm) Short ( 254 nm) Petroleum ether Light
green
Greenish yellow Chloroform
Greenish brown Dark greenish brown Acetone
Dark green Light
green Ethyl acetate
Blackish green Black Methanol
Yellowish green Green Table
5 . The
colour and consistency of leaf extracts of bauhinia purpurea.
S.No. Extracts Colour Consistency 1 Petroleum ether (60 – 80oc)
Greenish black Semisolid
2 Chloroform Greenish black
Semisolid 3 Acetone Greenish brown Semisolid 4 Ethyl
acetate Yellow Semisolid 5 Methanol Dark brown
Semisolid 6 Water Dark brown Sticky The various qualitative chemical
tests (Table 6) have shown the presence of phytosterols, flavonoids, fixed
oils, phenolic, tannins, glycosides and saponins in huge amount; whereas,
alkaloids, aromatic acids, carbohydrate, proteins and aminoacid,
triterpenoids, gums, mucilage and volatile oils were totally absent in the
leaf extract of this plant. Table 6. Preliminary phytochemical screening of various
extracts of bauhinia purpurea.
Conclusion Macroscopic as well as
microscopical studies of any phytodrug are the primary steps to establish its
botanical quality control before going to other studies. As per WHO norms ,
botanical standards are to be proposed as a protocol for the diagnosis of the
herbal drug. The above mentioned parameters are helpful for the future
identification and authentification of the plant in the herbal industry and
in factories. The physico-chemical standards, such as ash values, extractive
values, crude fiber content and fluorescence analysis, will be useful to
identify the authenticity of the drug even from the crushed or powdered plant
materials. It will serve as a standard
data for the quality control of the preparations containing this plant in
future. The leaf constants can be
included as microscopical standards in Indian herbal pharmacopoeia.
Phytochemical study is also useful to isolate the pharmacologically active
principles present in the drug. The
information obtained from the ash values and extractive values are useful
during the time of collection and also during extraction process. Using these
standards, the plant can be differentiated from other related species.
Acknowledgements The authors are grateful
to the Director, NISCAIR,
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