PHARMACOGNOSTIC AND PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION ON STEM BARK OF CHLOROXYLON SWIETENIA DC. AN ETHNOMEDICINALLY IMPORTANT MEDICINAL TREE (original) (raw)

Chloroxylon swietenia DC. belongs to the family Rutaceae / Meliaceae / Chloroxylaceae, is a medicinal and aromatic tree of dry deciduous forests. It is popularly known as Yellow wood, East Indian satin wood and Ceylon satin wood. The stem bark is credited for its effectiveness in the treatment of common cough and cold, it is also used as an astringent. Its pharmacognostic data for authentication of the crude drug is not available, hence, in the present study, macroscopical, microscopical, and preliminary phytochemical investigations of stem bark is undertaken. Powder microscopy revealed that Cork cells, Calcium oxalate crystals, Phloem parenchyma, medullary rays and thick walled phloem fibers were abundant. Anatomical studies showed the presence of phellem, phellogen, and phelloderm with abundant secondary phloem. The qualitative chemical tests of petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, ethanol and water extracts of stem bark revealed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, phenolic compounds and tannins.