Pharmacognostic studies on leaves of Ageratum conyzoides Linn.

Abstract

Phytomedicine obtained from herbal sources are in great demand in the developed world as they are able to cure many infectious diseases. These plant based drugs provide outstanding contribution to modern therapeutics. The rise in the use of herbal product has also given rise to various forms of abuse and adulteration of the products. Therefore, it is essential to assess their quality and purity. This study is an attempt to establish pharmacognostic parameters for the plant Ageratum conyzoides Linn. commonly known as goat weed. The leaves of A. conyzoides are used in traditional system of medicine for the treatment of injuries, cuts, snake bite and pneumonia. Microscopy of leaves exhibited the presence of anisocytic stomata, non-glandular trichomes and epidermal cells. Various physic-chemical parameters i.e. extractive value, ash value, fluorescence analysis, loss on drying and TLC fingerprinting were also determined. TLC fingerprinting showed that maximum number of components was present in petroleum ether and chloroform extract. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, amino acids, flavonoids and terpenoids in the plant. This study will be useful in authentication and identification of the plant Ageratum conyzoides.