Pharmacognostical evaluation and qualitative analysis of Boerhaavia diffusa L. Roots

Boerhaavia diffusa L. (Family: Nyctaginaceae) is an herbaceous plant, spreading vine widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions in the world. The plants are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrate. In Punjab region, the drug is useful for the eye disease and in Bombay used for dropsical swellings. The leaves juice is used in jaundice and the root is generally used in infusion in internal inflammation, laxative, and also in urinary disease. The whole plant extract is hepatoprotective in nature. Various parameters like macroscopy, microscopy, fluorescence analysis as well as extractive value and quantitative phytochemical screening of different extractives were studied. The major components of the extractives like total phenolic, total flavonoids were also estimated respectively. The characteristic of microscopy, physicochemical, fluorescence analysis and quantitative chemical screening were performed in root extractives of the plant material as a mean of authentication.