Abstract

DETAILED COMPARATIVE MICROMORPHOLOGICAL AND MICROMETRIC EVALUATION OF ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA AND ITS ADULTARANT (A. echioides)

S Jani*, C Harisha, Bhupesh P.

Abstract

Kalmegha, the king of bitters belongs to family Acanthaceae. Kalmegha is well known medicinal plant which used as potent hepatoprotective drug. In present scenario, due to increase in demand and shortage of supply kalmegh drug, many adulterants are used. One such adulterant is Andrographis echioides. Research work has proved that Adulterants of Kalmegha Andrographis paniculata is Andrographis echioides Nees. where in andrographolide is not present. To overcome from adulterants, present study has been taken with an aim to find satisfactory difference for aiding identification of plant material even in powder form. Material was collected in fresh forms and methods were followed as per standard protocol. The pollen grains present in A. pannniculata powder was dumb-bell shaped with two protuberances where as in A.echioides it was round with thick wall. Oval shaped cystoliths present in root of A. pannniculata measures about 1.2X0.8 μm which was absent in case of A. echioides. The micrometrical evaluation along with some differential characters observed in powder microscopy can be helpful in identifying adulteration of A. paniculata.

Keywords: Andrographis, micromorphology, micrometric, pollen grain, A. echioides