Planta Med 2011; 77 - P_1
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1273530

Identification of Terminalia Species from India using Macro-morphological Features

R Vijayasankar 1, IA Khan 1, 2, 3
  • 1National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
  • 2Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
  • 3Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Terminalia L. (Combretaceae) is a tropical genus that comprises about 150 species and is represented in India by 12 species. Of these, six species are recorded in various codified and non-codified Systems of Indian Medicine. Stem bark of Terminalia arjuna is traditionally used for treating heart ailments. Fruits of T. bellirica and T. chebula are ingredients in 'Triphala', a popular Ayurvedic formulation used for the treatment of stomach disorders as well as various other diseases [1]. Fruits of T. chebula are also used in a number of formulations meant for treating various ailments in children. In India, fruits of these medicinal plants are traded in large quantities as raw drugs [2]. The fruits of these species are often confused with that of other species of Terminalia and thus the fruits are sometimes misidentified. Several websites, especially commercial sites specializing in dietary supplements, exhibit pictures of materials that are often incorrectly identified. This ambiguity could possibly result in use of wrongly identified raw materials in the preparation of dietary supplements. This problem represents a serious threat to the health and safety of the consumers. The present work provides detailed descriptions of medicinally used species as well as their allied species of Terminalia occurring in India. The descriptions are accompanied by pictures wherever such illustrations are available. A dichotomous key will be provided along with diagnostic features to enable easy and unambiguous identification of the various species of Terminalia.

Acknowledgements: This research was supported in part by 'Science Based Authentication of Dietary Supplements' and 'Botanical Dietary Supplement Research' funded by the Food and Drug Administration grant numbers 5U01FD002071–10 and 1U01FD003871–02, and the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Specific Cooperative Agreement No. 58–6408–2-0009. The authors also acknowledge FRLHT (now I-AIM, the Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine), Bangalore, India for the pictures.

References: [1] Sharma PC, Yelne MB, Dennis TJ. (2001) Database on medicinal plants used in Ayurveda (CD). Vol. 3. CCRAS, New Delhi. [2] Goraya GS, Ved DK. (2007) Demand and supply of medicinal plants in India. NMPB, New Delhi & FRLHT, Bangalore.