Abstract
Cassia sieberiana DC. (Leguminosae - Caesalpinioideae), commonly known as drumstick and ‘aridantooro’ in Yoruba, is a perennial tree native to Africa. It is used in ethno-medicine to manage arthritis and rheumatism. Pharmacological activities such as myorelaxant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial have been reported in literature. Pharmacognostic investigation including microscopy, chemomicroscopy, physicochemical analysis and phytochemical investigations including thin layer chromatographic finger printing were conducted on fresh and powdered leaf and root samples of this plant. The macro and microscopic studies revealed the leaves to be simple, petiolated, glabrous and pinnately veinnated. The lower epidermal surface is characterized by abundant anomocytic stomata, polygonal epidermal cells and numerous uniseriate, unicellular trichomes. Quantitative leaf analysis revealed the following: stomatal number (163.8), stomatal index (19.04), palisade ratio (17.01), vein islet number (56.45) and vein termination number (61.45). Chemomicroscopic characters present include lignins, tannins, mucilage, starch, oils and calcium oxalate crystals. The physicochemical parameters evaluated are moisture content of 6.3%, total ash of 4.2%, acid-insoluble ash of 3.4%, sulphated ash of 11.0%, water-soluble ash of 0.8%, alcohol-soluble extractive of 21.3%, and water-soluble extractive of 16.7%. Chromatographic fingerprints of ethanol 70% extracts show major spots at Rf = 0.18 daylight (brown), UV366 (deep brown), spray reagent at 100°C (brown); Rf = 0.57 daylight (brown), UV366 (deep brown), spray reagent at 100°C (brown); Rf = 0.89 daylight (green), UV366 (red), spray reagent at 100°C (brown). The pharmacognostic evaluation of the leaves of C. sieberiana is reported here for the first time. The results of this research provide information which can be included in official monograph of the plant for its proper identification and quality control. Key words: Cassia sieberiana, pharmacognostic studies, physicochemical studies, chemomicroscopy.
Highlights
Cassia sieberiana DC. (Leguminosae -Caesalpinioideae) is a shrub or small tree, 15 to 20 m tall; bole short, twisted; bark fissured, grey to brown, with blackish stripes and young branches densely hairy
The transverse section (TS), of the leaf showed the presence of covering trichomes on the upper epidermis; well-developed collenchyma cells were seen below the lower epidermis
Chemomicroscopic evaluation of the comminuted leaf and root of C. sieberiana indicated the presence of lignin, tannins, cellulose, starch and oils
Summary
Cassia sieberiana DC. (Leguminosae -Caesalpinioideae) is a shrub or small tree, 15 to 20 m tall; bole short, twisted; bark fissured, grey to brown, with blackish stripes and young branches densely hairy. (Leguminosae -Caesalpinioideae) is a shrub or small tree, 15 to 20 m tall; bole short, twisted; bark fissured, grey to brown, with blackish stripes and young branches densely hairy. It is wide spread in India and tropical Africa including northern and southern Nigeria, especially in cultivated or old clearings by the. Ash values and extractive values are reliable tools in detecting adulteration and help in establishing the purity of crude drugs. Extractive values are primarily useful for the determination and evaluation of the chemical constituents present in the crude drug and help in estimation of specific constituents soluble in particular solvents (African Pharmacopoeia, 1986). Similar studies have been carried out on root samples collected outside Nigeria (Sam et al, 2013)
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