Pharmacognostic standardization of Aralia cachemirica: a comparative study

Aralia cachemirica Decne. is an endemic and an important medicinal plant species of Kashmir Himalaya. Despite having immense medicinal importance, little information is available on the standardization parameters of the species. For this reason, present work was carried out for providing comprehensive report on the quality control and standardization parameters of A. cachemirica. In this connection, different parts (leaves, stem, and root) of the plant were examined. Methods like microscopy and macroscopy, physicochemical parameters, extractive values, and fluorescence analysis were used to establish pharmacognostical standards. The macroscopic, microscopy, and physicochemical parameters of different parts of A. cachemirica revealed various diagnostic characteristics in the species. This is the first study providing complete pharmacognostic profile of A. cachemirica and hence will be useful for correct identification and authentication of the species for future studies.