PHARMACOGNOSTIC STUDIES ON ASTERACANTHA LONGIFOLIA NEES

Summary

The macroscopic and microscopic characters of stem and leaf of AsteracanLha longifolia Nées, a common stout herb, growing in ditches and swampy places throughout India, which is an important ingredient for various pharmaceutical preparations, are described. The stem is characterised by opposite, lanceolate leaves and six straight or slightly curved thorns at the nodes. Two kinds of trichomes, uniseriate 1–5 celled non–glandular trichomes and glandular trichomes with a stalk and eight head cells are present. Although there is no regular extrastelar secondary growth many lenticels are formed sporadically. The epidermis becomes two layered at some places by periclinal divisions of some cells. Some of the collenchyma cells of the hypodermal region develop lignified secondary walls with slit–shaped pits. The innermost layer of the cortex forms a regular endodermis with casparian band on radial walls of the cells, which also contain starch grains. The primary phloem fibres along with the intervening parenchyma cells form a layer of pericycle. These fibres are much longer than the secondary fibres formed later. In the secondary wood some wood fibres are found to be septate. The stomata are mainly caryophyllaceous (diacytic) and are present on both the surfaces. Gystoliths are present in epidermal cells of stem and leaf in large numbers.

Quantitative microscopic data on palisade ratio, stomatal index and vein islet number have been given. The microscopic characters of the powder of the drug have also been described. A short account of the chemical and pharmacological work on the drug so far carried out has been included.

Zusammenfassung

Von Asteracanlha longifolia, deren Kraut samt Wurzeln hauptsächlich als Diuretikum, jedoch auch für eine Reihe weiterer pharmazeutischer Zubereitungen benutzt wird, ist in dieser Arbeit die Morphologie und Anatomie des Stengels und der Blätter mitgeteilt. Einleitend ist eine Übersicht über die bisher vorliegenden chemischen und pharmakologischen Befunde gegeben.