The present work is aimed at investigating the pharmacognostical characters of the aerial parts of Calotropis gigantea. Calotropis gigantea is commonly available throughout the plains of India. Along with its close relative, C. procera, it is used in Indigenous systems of medicine as well as in home remedies and tribal medicine. It is reported that both the plants used vis-à-vis or get inter-changed or used as alternative to one another or get confused with common people and even in some literature. They are economically important, produces more durable quality fiber, which may also be used even for cloth weaving, latex for tanning, wood as fuel, hairs to fill pillows and many other uses, apart from its cultural and medicinal importance. All parts of C. gigantea are used in medicine either as whole or as individual parts for various ailments. Leaves, flowers, root and root bark are used in Ayurveda. Leaves, flowers, roots and latex are used in Siddha. Medicinal properties of C. procera are very similar to C. gigantea. Available pharmacognostical studies on C. gigantea are fragmented. Pharmacognostical studies on roots, leaves and flowers are available separately. Though the aerial parts are also used in some ailments, and also a commercially available crude drug, pharmacognostical characters of aerial parts of C. gigantea is not available. Characters to differentiate the aerial parts of C. gigantea with C. procera as market sample, is also not available. This article fulfills the pharmacognostical characteristic features of aerial parts of C. gigantea and narrates the characters to differentiate C. procera in commercially available market samples. It is observed that non-lignified pericyclic fibers in stem, bicollateral vascular bundles, stomata on both surfaces, starchy endodermis, and soft, shaggy & tangled trichomes, are the diagnostic characters of C. gigantea. Though the macroscopical and microscopical characters are more or less similar in both the species, 4 rows of palisade cells and abundant starch in stem pith and little wide lumen in pericyclic fibers are the diagnostic characters, which differentiate C. procera from C. gigantea.
Loading....