PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE STEM BARK OF CASSIA TORA LINN. (CAESALPINIACEA) Research Article

The present communication deals with the pharmacognostical and preliminary phytochemical studies on the stembark of Cassia tora. This plant of considerable economic importance has been recommended mainly for its skin diseases, leprosy, ringworm, & ulcer. No study reports are avilable on the microscopic and phytochemical studies of the stembark. Hence, the present attempt has been undertaken to investigate the macroscopical ,microscopic, physico-chemical parameters such as ash value, inorganic element, extractive value, moisture content, behaviour of powder with different chemical reagent, fluorescence analysis, preliminary phytochemical screening, & thin layer chromatography. The outer surface of stembark is greenish brown in colour. The fissures were V shaped. The inner surface is smooth and light yellow coloured. Transverse section of stembark shows the presence of cork, cortex, phloen fibre, xylem parenchyma & pith region. Powder microscopy of stem bark shows the presence of xylem vessel, starch grain, cork cells & parenchymatous cell. Phytochemical screening of the methanol extract and different fractions shows the presence of carbohydrate, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, flavonoid, tannins & phenols. Thin layer chromatography of different fraction shows number of spots.