Comprehensive study on pharmacognostic, physico and phytochemical evaluation of Terminalia arjuna Roxb. stem bark

Abstract

Terminalia arjuna Roxb. (Family-Combretaceae) is commonly known as Arjun tree and valued for its medicinal uses. In the present investigation, the detailed pharmacognostic study of T. arjuna stem bark (TASB) is carried out to lay down the standards which could be useful in forthcoming experimental studies. The study includes microscopy, proximate analysis and physicochemical evaluation. Atomic absorption spectroscopic analysis of TASB revealed the presence of heavy metals within the recommended safety range. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of the methanolic extract of TASB (MeOH-TASB) confirmed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, saponins and steroids in the extract. The UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopic analysis of MeOH-TASB indicated the presence of aromatic phytoconstituents as predominant ingredient of the extract. The chemical fingerprinting of MeOH-TASB was performed by using TLC and GC-MS analysis which showed bands/peaks of different phytoconstituents. Findings of this study provide reference information on TASB for its quality evaluation.