Preliminary pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies on Nerium oleander Linn. (White cultivar)

Abstract

Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae. It is commonly known as oleander but has many other names like Nerium indicum Mill. and Nerium odorum Soland. The present study was carried out for pharmacognostic evaluation, physical evaluation, and phytochemical evaluation according to standard procedures. The leaves of Nerium oleander were collected, shade dried and extraction was done by simple maceration method. The preliminary morphological studies, macroscopic as well as microscopic evaluation, physical evaluation and preliminary phytochemical screening for the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, glycosides, tannins, terpenoids, phenolics steroids and saponins for petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of Nerium oleander leaves were carried out. The physical evaluation was carried out for the determination of petroleum ether soluble extractive value, methanol soluble extractive value, water soluble extractive value; ash value includes total ash, acid insoluble ash and water soluble ash, moisture content, volatile oil content for the leaves of Nerium oleander.