Preliminary pharmacognostical and phytochemical evaluation of Stachys tibetica Vatke

Stachys tibetica Vatke (Lamiaceae) is an important medicinal plant in the folk medicine of Ladakh, India and Tibet for the treatment of various mental disorders. Infusion and decoction of the whole plant is used as a cup of tea for a severe fever, headaches and to relieve tension. The recent study is aimed to evaluate the preliminary pharmacognostical and phytochemical nature of Stachys tibetica Vatke. The whole plant material was subjected to successive soxhlet extraction with petroleum ether (40 - $60^{\circ}C$), chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and finally decocted with water to get the respective extracts. The fluorescence characteristics of the powdered materials were analysed under ultraviolet light and ordinary light. Different physicochemical parameters such as ash value, extractive value, foaming index, pH values, loss on drying and determination of foreign matter were carried out as per WHO guidelines. The total fat, flavonoid, saponin and volatile contents were also determined. Macroscopical studies revealed the authentication of the plant drug. Physicochemical parameters helped to standardize the plant material while preliminary qualitative chemical tests of different extracts showed the presence of Glycosides, Carbohydrates, Phytosterols/triterpenoids, Saponins, Fixed oils, Fats and phenols/tannins. Quantification of the total flavonoids and saponins and contents were determined as $54.66{\pm}0.58mg/g$ and $75.42{\pm}0.48mg/kg$ respectively, while the volatile and fat contents were 6.5% and 0.7% respectively. Results may lay the foundation for the standardization of the drug and discovery of new molecules from S. tibetica for the treatment of various diseases.