@article {806, title = {A Pharmacognosy Approach to the Botanical Source of a Cinnamon Fruit Traded as N{\={a}}gake{\'s}ara and Sirunagappu in Raw Drug Markets}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {11}, year = {2019}, month = {January 2019}, pages = {81-87}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {81}, abstract = {

Background: Adulteration and substitution of Nagakesara is a well-established fact in the medicinal plant literature though it is referred by the authors of important Ayurvedic texts to cure piles, dysentery, hiccup etc. The botanical identities of controversial sources of Nagakesara are flowers of Mesua ferrea L. and Ochrocarpus longifolius Benth. and Hook. f., Calophyllum inophyllum L., Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. and perchance their allied species. Though immature fruits of some Cinnamomum species are also reported to be sold as Nagakesara/Sirunagappu in the crude drug markets there are no pharmacognostic studies available for the identification and analysis of this crude drug. Materials and Methods: In this study, marketed Nagakesara/ Sirunagappu samples were procured from Chennai raw drug market and analyzed as per the standard methodologies for pharmacognostic studies. Results: Macro-microscopical characters and chemical identity of the samples of immature fruits were established to derive set of characters for the identification of this marketed material. The proposed results would help in identification of this crude drug while used as substitute drug for the official source. Conclusion: The botanical Nagakesara or Sirunagappu is neither stamen nor flower, but it is fruit of Cinnamomum species. As Western Ghats is habitat for several similar looking species of Cinnamomum, there is necessity to study the pharmacognostical characters of all species of Cinnamomum before concluding the botanical source of this ambiguous raw drug of Ayurveda and Siddha.

}, keywords = {HPTLC, Lauraceae, Market substitute, Quality standards, Siddha, ulteration}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2019.1.15}, author = {Chinnapillai Arunachalam and Balasundaram Maheshwari and Govindarajan Nartunai and Raju Ilavarasan and Koppala Narayana Sunil Kumar and Parameswaran Sathiyarajeswaran} } @article {608, title = {Pharmacognostical-physico-chemical Evaluation and Development of HPTLC Finger print for Cichorium intybus L. fruits}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {10}, year = {2018}, month = {June 2018}, pages = {694-699}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {694}, abstract = {

Introduction: Many herbal medicines are lacking pharmacognostical, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological data even though used widely for medicinal purposes. Cichorium intybus L. (Asteraceae) \– chicory is an ancient folklore medicine. Various parts of these plants are in use for a wide range of ailments including those affecting liver and kidney. The aim of the current study is to standardize the fruit of C. intybus for macroscopy, microscopy, physicochemical parameters, TLC photo documentation along with development of HPTLC fingerprint profiles. Methods: Following standard pharmacopoeial procedures, detailed macro-microscopic characterization along with preliminary phytochemical features of the drug has been recorded from the current study. Results: Macro-microscopic study has revealed the authenticity of this medicinal achene type fruit. Physico-chemical and HPTLC studies revealed constants for identification and authentication of fruits of C. intybus. Conclusion: The current study will serve as a reference tool for quality maintenance, authentication as well as scientific validation of chicory fruits.

}, keywords = {Chicory fruits, Monograph, Quality control, standardization}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2018.4.115 }, url = {http://fulltxt.org/article/653}, author = {Achintya Kumar Mandal and Shakila Ramachandran and Kallingilkalathil Gopi Divya and Mattumal Rubeena and Koppala Narayana Sunil Kumar and Parameswaran Sathiyarajeswaran} }