Scientific Validation and Standardisation Studies on a Traditional Drug Aristolochia tagala Cham Root

Abstract

Scientific Validation and modernisation of herbal medicine will emphasize up on the need to evolve methodologies to achieve these goals by systematic pharmacognostical, phyto chemical and pharmacological studies, scientific validation and standardisation of a traditional herbal drug - A. tagala Cham Root is carried out in this work. A. tagala is a climbing shrub having habitation in the hills and river beds. It is distributed in India, Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia and Thailand. The root system consists. Thick root stock, rough uneven surface. The roots are dark brown, bitter taste with slight aroma. In the microscopical studies, the root shows characteristic anomalous secondary growth of cleft system cylinder. The periderm is broad, deeply fissured, The phloem is Homogenous, thin walled, not organised in to radial fibres, large brachy sclereids occur in a continuos or discontinuous cylinder outer to the secondary phloem. Secondary xylem is deeply cleaned in to many radiating wide bounds. Starch grains are abundant in the secondary phloem cells. Fibre sclereids with wide canal like simple pits and fibre like long tapering ends are abundant in the powder. The size of starch grains are at 25µ - 45µ - 75µ. The physical evaluation of the A. tagala root results the total ash value 12.9% acid insoluble ash value 3%, water soluble ash value 3.1%. The alcoholic extractive value 3.1% and water soluble extractive value 3.5%. During different solvent extraction process, the plant drug yielded 5.08% Waxy residue with pet either, 6.70% semisolid residue with benzene 8.64% semisolid residue with chloroform 4.5% sticky fluid residue, with alcohol and 12.34% solid residue with water (distilled). antidiarrhoeal, locomotor, antinflammatory studies shows significant activities. The antioxidant studies in chloroform extract shows to proven results. The microbiological studies of chloroform extract of A.tagala root against bacterial organisms and fungal organisms, is showing a good result. newline