Comparative pharmacognosy and phytochemical evaluation of leaf, root and stem of Psoralea corylifolia Linn. (Bakuchi)

BACKGROUND: Psoralea corylifolia Linn. (P. Corylifolia L.), frequently familiar as Bakuchi in Samskrit, is an endangered and medicinally important plant. Its medicinal usage is reported in Indian pharmaceutical codex, the Chinese, British and the American Pharmacopoeia, and in different traditional systems of medicines such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. However, no scientifically pharmacognosy study has been reported on leaf, root, and stem part of P. Corylifolia L. Classics emphasized the use of leaf, root and stem of P. Corylifolia L. for on the management of dental carries, diarrhea, dysentery, etc., in the form of local application as well as internal administration. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate comparative pharmacognosy, phytochemical studies, and physicochemical analysis of leaf, root and stem of P. Corylifolia L. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies of leaf, root, stem, and their powder for phytochemical tests, histochemical tests, psoralen chemical test, and physicochemical analysis were performed by standard methods. RESULT: All the different parts of the plant exhibit oleoresin and other cellular contents, i.e., vessels fibers, lignified pitted vessels, etc., in pharmacognosy studies. In phytochemical study; observations indicate that coumarins, steroids, and flavonoids are present in leaf, stem, and root samples. Basified alcoholic extracts of powders of all test samples showed yellowish color of fluorescence at 366 nm whereas none of the samples showed any color at 254 nm during chemical test of psoralen. CONCLUSION: Pharmacognostical study on leaf, root and stem of Bakuchi (P. corylifolia L.) contributed Certain pharmacognostical parameters i.e; oleoresin, vascular bundles, parenchyma cells with rhomboidal crystals, pericyclic fibres etc parameters that will be applicable for authentication and identification of the parts of drug. There is a need to focus on the preliminary throughput phytochemical screening of plants for their probable use in therapeutics. As no published evidences are developed on comparative pharmacognosy and preliminary physicochemical analysis of leaf, root and stem of P. corylifolia L. plant, the results documented in the present study may be used as a standard in subsequent studies. These observations can be of use for further research studies.