The Pharmacognostic Standardisation of Medicinally Important Notorious Weed-Lantana camera

Abstract

Background: The species Lantana camera is an important medicinal, ornamental, as well as essential oil-producing herb from the family Verbenaceae. It is also known as red sage and is used as a popular ornamental plant in gardens. L. camara grows in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions at a high altitude up to 2000 m. In India, L. camera is considered a poisonous plant and included in the top ten invasive weeds. Invasive weeds are nothing but a species that is not native to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes economic or environmental harm or human harm. Due to its invasive nature, L. camera is lagging behind in the list of medicinal plants for their uses in drug preparation. However, it is listed as one of the most significant medicinal plants in the world. The plant extracts have been used in folk medicine for the treatment of cancers, chicken pox, measles, asthma, ulcers, swellings, eczema, tumors, high blood pressure, bilious fevers, and catarrhal infections, tetanus, rheumatism and malaria. Despite significant ethnomedicinal properties of L. camera few investigations have been carried out in respect of the Pharmacognostic standardization of complete plant. The work performed related to Pharmacognostic study so far is not sufficient. Therefore, the main objective of the present review is to create awareness about L. camera as one of the useful weeds in society by studying it from a pharmacognosy point of view.
 Results: With respect to the above, the present work deals with the Pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies of leaves, stems and fruits of L. camera. The details study of Macroscopy, Microscopy, physicochemical and phytochemical parameters demonstrated the various diagnostic features of L. camera.
 Conclusions: The overall outcome of the macroscopical, microscopical, physicochemical and phytochemical study will be helpful in the correct identification and establishment of standardization parameters for the leaves, stem and fruits of medicinally important notorious weed.