Pharmacognostical standardization of Arisaema leschenaultii Blume

Abstract

Arisaema leschenaultii Blume is endemic to South India and Sri Lanka. It grows in shades, especially on shola floor of 1200 – 2000 m altitude, it is rare and threatened in silent valley. The corms and tender leaves are cooked with tamarind paste and eaten as a vegetable by Kanis tribe in Tirunelveli hills. It is employed medicinally by Singhalese as a substitute to Arisaema jacquemontii Blume, whose juice is good for ringworm infection and the paste is applied as ointment in skin diseases. The corms are used to cure piles. This paper focuses on the pharmacognosy of A. leschenaultii Blume because pharmacognosy is an important link between pharmacology and medicinal chemistry. Morphological and anatomical description of plant, pharmacognostical and analytical standards and physical constants were obtained by employing standard methods of analysis as described in Pharmacopoeia of India. The results of the present investigation provide dependable diagnostic features of the vegetative organs of the plants for the identity of the drug in entire and in fragmentary conditions.