Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical Characteristics of the Colchicum luteum Baker (Suranjan) growing wild in Kashmir Valley, India

Abstract

Colchicum luteum (Liliaceae) belongs to genus Colchicum. The Liliaceae family consists of 280 genera and 4000 species, with diverse geographical locations. In the Kashmir valley, they are widely distributed. Colchicum luteum is a perennial plant with corms and starchy rhizomes. This drug holds a prime position in the Unani system of medicine due to presence of alkaloid colchicine, which is found to be effective in arthritis, gout, rheumatism, and used as a carminative, laxative, and aphrodisiac. Its hydro-alcoholic extract was screened for the presence of several phytoconstituents using preliminary phytochemical methods. The microscopy of the Colchicum luteum corm revealed the presence of Fragment of Vessels with Spiral and Annular Thickening, Parenchyma and Part of a Spirally Thickened Vessel, Calcium-Oxalate Crystal, Starch-Granule and Single-Fibre. Proximate analysis revealed that Colchicum luteum corm dry plant powder has a 2.6% Total Ash Value, 1.0% Acid Insoluble Ash Value, and 1.8% Water Soluble Ash Value. 10.6 percent was determined to be the loss on drying. Post treatment with various chemical agents, fluorescence examination of the powdered plant material was performed under UV light at 254 nm and visible light. The current study showed the microscopical characters, the preliminary phytochemical screening and the proximate analysis of the Colchicum luteum corm. Information collected from such studies can be used as benchmark in the quality control of this plant as herbal medicine for treatment of various diseases.