• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.221-226
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• 2008

The bark of Careya arborea Roxb. (Barringtoniacae) is used against various disorders in Indian systems of medicine, namely astringent, anthelmintic, in tumors, dyspepsia, colic, bronchitis, urinary discharges, piles, lecucoderma, skin diseases, epileptic fits, diarrhoea. The juice of the fresh bark with honey is given as a demulcent in coughs and colds, infusion of the fresh bark is used to treat snake bite by applying to the bitten part and also taken internally. The present communication deals with the detailed pharmacognostical evaluation of the bark sample using light and confocal microscopy, WHO recommended physico-chemical determinations and authentic phytochemical procedures. The physico-chemical, morphological and histological parameters presented in this paper may be proposed as parameters to establish the authenticity of C. arborea bark and may possibly help to differentiate the drug from its other allied species.