486-491
Pharmacognostical study and establishment of quality parameters of aerial parts of Costus speciosus-a well known tropical folklore medicine
Authors: Pradeep Singh, Ratan Lal Khosa, Shruti Srivastava, Garima Mishra, Keshri Kishor Jha, Sourabh Srivastava, Sangeeta, Ramesh Kumar Verma, Mohd Adil Tahseen
Number of views: 338
Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic pharmacognostical characters of Costus speciosus (aerial
parts) along with their physico-chemical parameters and fluorosence analysis.
Method: The pharmacognostical characters were determined in terms of macroscopy,
microscopy, powder microscopy, leaf constant, fluorescence analysis and preliminary
phytochemical investigation.
Results: The findings of macroscopy revealed that leaves elliptic to oblong or oblong-lancoelate,
thick, spirally arranged, with stem clasping sheaths up to 4 cm, flowers large, white, conelike terminal spikes, with bright red bracts. Transverse section of leaflet showed the presence
of cuticularised epidermis with polygonal cells on adaxial surface and bluntly angled cells on
abaxial surface of lamina, mesophyll cells differentiated in to single layered palisade cells on
each surface and 2-3 layered spongy parenchyma, unicellular and uniseriate multicellular
covering trichomes, paracytic stomata and vascular bundles surrounded by sclerenchymatous
multicellular sheath. Preliminary phytochemical screening exhibited the presence of various
phytochemical groups like alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, phenolic constituents. Further, the leaf
constants, powder microscopy and fluorescence characteristics indicated outstanding results from
this investigation
Conclusions: Various pharmacognostical and physico-chemical parameters have pivotal roles in
identification, authentication and establishment of quality parameters of the species.