Pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies of Zanthoxylum armatum DC.

The pharmacognostic and phytochemical investigations on the leaf, stem bark, and fruit of Zanthoxylum armatum were carried out. Macroscopic study of leaf, stem bark, and fruit of Z. armatum revealed some of the characteristic features like size, shape, color, odor and taste of the crude drug. Distinguishing fragments were identified from the powder drug. Leaf, bark, and fruit powder of this plant have higher values of total, acid insoluble, and water soluble ash as compared to the powder of this plant exhausted with ethanol and n- hexane. Extraction values in methanol were highest for leaves (20.10%) and fruit (11%), while bark showed highest value in chloroform (8.5%). The extractive values varied among other parts with different solvents. Fluorescence analysis of the Z. Armatum leaf, stem bark, and fruit powder with various reagents showed characteristic coloration at day and under UV light. Quantitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of many bioactive constituents in leaves, such as alkaloids (15.60±0.10 mg/g), sterols (71.60±0.10mg/g), saponins (21.57±0.12mg/g), tannins (34.43±0.21mg/g), phenols (11.66±0.33mg/g) and flavonoids (13.68±0.66mg/g). Alkaloids (19.60±0.10mg/g), sterols (33.83±0.29mg/g), saponins (14.78±0.10mg/g), tannins (28.62±0.13mg/g), phenols (16.48±1.33mg/g) and flavonoids (18.33±1.22mg/g) were reported form the bark, while fruits were reported to have alkaloids (25.07±0.21mg/g), sterols (164.92±0.14mg/g), saponins (28.60±0.10mg/g), tannins (35.5±0.5mg/g), phenols (21.68±0.44mg/g) and flavonoids (22.8±1.33mg/g). Z. armatum is an important medicinal plant, traditionally used for various ailments. This study will be helpful in the future pharmacognostic standardization of this important plant.

In vivo antinociceptive and muscle relaxant activity of leaf and bark of Buddleja asiatica L.

The current study was designed to assess the antinociceptive and skeleton muscle relaxant effect of leaves and barks of Buddleja asiatica in animal models. In acetic acid induced writhing test, pretreatment of ethanolic extract of leaves and barks evoked marked dose dependent antinociceptive effect with maximum of 70% and 67% pain relief at 300mg/kg i.p. respectively. In chimney test, the ethanolic extract of leaves and barks evoked maximum of 66.66% and 53.33% muscle relaxant effect after 90min of treatment at 300mg/kg i.p respectively. In traction test, the ethanolic extract of leaves and barks caused maximum of 60% and 73.33% muscle relaxant effect after 90min of treatment at 300mg/kg i.p respectively. In short, both leaves and barks demonstrated profound antinociceptive and skeleton muscle relaxant effects and thus the study provided natural healing agents for the treatment of said disorders.