Pharmacognostical Evaluation of Fagonia cretica Linn
*K.P. Modi, K.N. Shah, S.K. Lahiri and M.B. Shah
Hippocratic Journal of Unani Medicine
Hippocratic Journal of Unani Medicine April - June 2014, Vol. 9 No. 2, Pages 119-128
सार
Fagonia cretica Linn. is widely distributed in dry lands of India. It has been used in traditional system of medicine as bitter tonic and febrifuge. The whole plant of F. cretica was subjected to macro and microscopical examination followed by physicochemical study. It is small woody herb with tortuous root, highly branched stem, elliptic leaves and purplish coloured flowers. Roots are characterized by lignified cork, cortical fibres, wide phloem and xylem. Stem shows the presence of a group of lignified fibres under epidermis, pericycle (containing discontinuous groups of the fibres and stone cells) and a wide stellar region followed by small pith. Transverse section of the leaf shows palisade cells, centric mesophyll and collateral vascular bundle in midrib. Powder shows the presence of covering trichomes, epidermis, stone cells, sclerenchyma and lignified cork. Saponins, flavanoids and alkaloids were found be major components. TLC study using silica gel plate as a stationary phase and Toluene: Ethyl formate: Formic acid (5: 4: 0.1) as a mobile phase shows the presence of isorhamnetin.