Abstract

PHARMACOGNOSY AND NUTRACEUTICAL POTENTIAL OF TRIANTHEMA PORTULACASTRUM LINN.

Seema Agashe*, Bindu Gopalkrishnan, Urmila Kumavat and Avinash Dixit

Abstract

Trianthema portulacastrum Linn. is a prostrate herb that belongs to family Aizoaceae. In India, it grows as post monsoon annual herb. The plant is reported to have anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, hepatoprotective activity. Besides, leaves of the plant are used as vegetable. Because of close morphological resemblance of the plant with crude drug „Punarnava‟, it is usually mistaken for the same. Pharmacognosy is an indispensable aid in standardization of herbal crude drug. In the present work, pharmacognostical evaluation of the leaf of Trianthema portulacastrum was carried out in view to develop quality standards. It includes macroscopy, microscopy, powder study, phytochemistry and physicochemical analysis. The quantitative estimations of few important primary and secondary metabolites were carried out. It has put insight into nutraceutical potential of the plant.

Keywords: Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Trianthema portulacastrum, nutraceutical