Pharmacognostical and physico-chemical studies of Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr. stem

Sesbania sesban (L.)MERR.is commonly seen in Asian and African countries. In Tamil it is called as ‘Sithagathi’. In olden days, the plant is used to treat various diseases. It acts as astringent, carminative, anti-inflammatory etc., Thehistochemical investigation of the stem indicated the presence of alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids etc., The physico-chemical parameters such as ash value, acid insoluble ash, loss on drying, water and alcohol extractive values were determined. Fluorescence analysis showed the plant sample is free of any foreign matter and adulterants. The reaction of the stem powder with different chemicals indicated the presence of the compounds such as starch, crystals and tannins. The pharmacognostic study conducted revealed the purity of the sample. The study establishes the pharmacognostical and physico-chemical standards of the crude drug and helps to differentiate the plant sample from the adulterants.

Author(s): T. Mythili* and R. Ravindhran

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