• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.168-172
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• 2004

In India, Gymnema sylvestre due to the unique property of the plant to antagonize the sweet taste is known as 'Gur-mar'. It has several ethnomedicinal values as various tribals/traditional communities and rural peoples of India find diverse medicinal uses viz. antidiabetic, stomachic, diuretic, and is useful in cough and throat troubles. Besides, it has strong effect on reducing blood sugar. The present communication deals with the detailed pharmacognostical evaluation of the aerial parts of G. sylvestre collected from three places of the country-Varanasi (U.P), Panchmarhi (M.P), Salem (Tami Nadu) and commercial sample procured from local market. The botanical and physico-chemical parameters of all the samples were quite similar though little variations were observed in foaming index, alcohol and water soluble extractives of local sample. The microscopic characteristics of the drug are horse shoe shaped petiole with 3 amphicribal vascular bundles, sieve tubes well developed; anomocytic stomata only on the abaxial surface of the leaf, the fan shaped amphicribal vascular bundle, presence of intraxylary phloem. The TLC fingerprint profile of all the samples was more or less similar only the quantity of some of the compounds varied.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.182-191
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• 1999

Korean folk medicine 'Ggeong Yi Da Ri' has been used mainly as remedies for stomach trouble, bruise and neuralgia. The botanical origin of the crude drug has not been studied pharmacognostically. To clarify the botanical origin of 'Ggeong Yi Da Ri', the morphology and anatomy of leaf and stem were examined for the Korean species of Thalictrum plants, such as T. acetaefolium, T. aquilegifolium, T. filamentosum, T. minus var. hypoleucum, T. minus var. stipellatum and T. rochebrunianum. The botanical origin of 'Ggeong Yi Da Ri' was clarified as the leaf and stem from Thalictrum aquilegifolium and T. filamentosum.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.19-23
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• 2006

Berberis chitria (family Berberidaceae) has a close affinity with B. aristata, used in traditional systems of medicine as a drug 'Daruharidra' for skin disease, jaundice, affection of eyes, and rheumatism. Keeping this in view, in the present study attempts have been made to identify marker characters of B. chitria in order to differentiate the two species. Some of the diagnostic features of the root are patches of pericyclic fibre, pitted sclerieds and berberine containing cells and heterocyclic medullary rays. Besides, the physicochemical characters such as total ash; acid insoluble ash; alcohol and water soluble extractive; tannins; sugar and starch percentages has shown variations. The percentage of berberine as berberine hydrochloride was also calculated through HPTLC densitometric method and it was found little higher than B. aristata and B. asiatica i.e. 3.16%. Thus, this species can be utilized as a possible substitute to Daruharidra.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.32 no.3 s.126
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• pp.233-237
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• 2001

Korean folk medicine 'Koaeng I Bab' has been used to cure hemorrhoid, boil and dermatopathy and as an antidote. The botanical origin of the crude drug has not been studied pharmacognostically. To clarify the botanical origin of 'Koaeng I Bab', the morphological and anatomical characteristics of the leaves of Oxalis species growing in Korea, i.e. O. acetosella, O. acetosella var. purpurascens, O. corniculata, O. obtriangulata were studied. As the result, the botanical origin of 'Koaeng I Bab' has been proved to be O. corniculata and O. acetosella var. purpurascens.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 1998

'Banafsha' is an important herbal drug of indigenous systems of medicine. Flowers of Viola odornta L. (Violaceae) are considered to constitute the genuine drug 'Banafsha'. However, due to limited distribution of this plant, another species of Viola, i.e. V. pilosa having almost similar medicinal properties, is mostly used under this vernacular instead. Ethnobotanically also different species of Viola i.e. V. odorata, V. pilosa and V. betonicifolia are used for various ailments at different places in our country. In the present study two species of Viola, namely V. pilosa and V. betonictfolia along with the commercial samples of 'Banafsha' were studied and authenticated. It was observed that the market samples procured from Dehradun, Mumbai, Lucknow, Palampur, Ramnagar and Ranikhet showed close resemblance with Viola pilosa in having similar morphological characters like uniseriate hairs on the ovary, geniculate and clavate style, truncate stigma and almost similar TLC profiles. On the other hand the Almora sample was identified as Viola betonicifolia by the presence of large purple flowers, clavate style and convex stigma forming hump like structure. However, the market sample procured from Pathankot was found to be a mixture of two species of Viola namely, V pilosa and V. odorata having dominance of the former species.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.6-8
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• 2010

Crude drug 'SanJagYag' has been used mainly as a pleurisy, abdominal pain, female disease and gastropathy. To clarify the botanical origin of SanJagYag from Korea, the anatomical characteristics of Paeonia japonica, Paeonia lactiflora and Paeonia obovata of Paeoniaceae were studied. As a result, it was clarified that SanJagYag was the root of Paeonia obovata.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 1998

Korean folk medicine "Ggaenggaengipul" has beenused to dlear heat and treat chronic childfood mutitional impairment, diarrhea, jaundice, haemorrhoid, inflammation, anepithymia, nausea and egestion .The crude drug often used as a supstitute for the more expensive "Huang Lian " (황연) in Korea and China. With regard to the botainicla origic of " Ggaenggaenigipul" , it has never been studied pharmacognostically. To clarify botanical origin of " Ggaenggaegipul" , the morphological and anatomicla characteristics of the leaves, petiole, rhizoma, and radix of Jeffersonia dubia BENTH were studied.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.270.2-270.2
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• 2003

Korean folk medicine ‘Bong Seon Wha Dai’ has been used to cure constipation and acute gastritis by meat. The botanical origin of the crude drug has never been studied pharmacogostically. To clarify the botanical origin of Bong Seon Wha Dai. the morphological and anatomical characteristics of Impatiens species growing in Korea, i.e. I. balsamina L., I. noli-tangere L.. I. textori Miq., I. textori Miq. forma. pallenscens Hara were studied. (omitted)

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.165-169
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• 2005

Chlorophytum borivilianum Baker (Antharicaceae) commonly referred as 'Safed Musli' has been widely used in the Indian traditional systems of medicine to treat various diseases like rheumatism apart from having immunomodulating property and is used as general tonic. It is also known as 'Ayurvedic viagra' for its aphordisiac properties. C. borivilianum was screened for the first time to determine its antioxidant activity, isolation of the sapogenins and standardization of the isolated sapogenin fraction using HPTLC. Potent antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract was found by their ability to scavenge DPPH (84.51%), hydroxyl radical (48.95 %), ferryl bi-pyridyl complex (84.53%) along with the inhibition of lipid peroxidation (67.17%) at $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ concentration. The ethanolic extract also exhibited significant inhibition of superoxide anion radical generated by photochemiluminescence. Thus, the potent antioxidant activity validates the innumerable therapeutic claims of the plant in the traditional system especially its use as a Rasayana drug.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.112-123
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• 1991

Traditional drugs(herbal and animal drugs) of Korea, China and Japan have developed essentially from the same origin, since the traditional medicine of three countries has been originated from ancient China. Due to different geographical locations and discrepancy of plant resources of the traditional drugs, some divergency in terms of systematic botany in traditional drug materials has appeared in the three countries. Present report aims to survey traditional herbal drugs that have been called same traditional names in three countries, but they are actually different with respect to systematic botanical view-point. The official drug compendia(pharmacopoeia and natural drug standards) of three countries were subject to examination. Survey was conducted by the following categories. Traditional drugs were listed under same name, however, 1) they belong to different genus; 7 traditional herbal drugs were listed. 2) they belong to same genus, but different species; 24 traditional herbal drugs were found. 3) a variety of related species are used; 15 traditional drugs were listed. 4) actually same plant, but taxonomical name is differently called and/or different parts of plant are used; 10 traditional drugs were counted. 5) animal drugs belong to one of the above categories; 7 traditional animal drugs were found. Total 63 traditional drugs(herbal and animal) were found to comprise different taxonomical names when the official drug compendia of Korea, China and Japan were examined.