@article {1544, title = {Morphological and Anatomical Investigations of Ecbolium viride (Forssk.) Alston}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {6}, year = {2014}, month = {18th Feb,2014}, pages = {19-27}, type = {Original Article}, abstract = {

Background:Ecbolium viride commonly known as green shrimp is a medicinal plant that grows well in the tropical and temperate regions of the world. International criteria for validation and standardization of herbal product as phytomedicine include the integration of microscopic characteristics of herbal drug to guarantee its authenticity. Objective: The present study was therefore undertaken to evaluate the macroscopic and microscopic characters of the leaves and roots of E. viride, used in traditional medicine for treating jaundice. Methods: Leaf and root sections of E. viride were sectioned with rotary microtome and microscopical features were examined using bright field microscope. Results: Anatomical characteristics such as crystal distribution in leaf, secondary xylem and vessel elements in root, glandular and non-glandular trichome in powder microscopy are some of the unique features of the plant with taxonomic value. The most distinguishing anatomical feature of this plant is the presence of cystolith calcium carbonate crystals. Conclusion: Morphological and anatomical parameters presented in this paper would serve as a useful gauge in ensuring quality formulations of drug preparation and in determining the genuineness of the drug.

Key words:Acanthaceae, Cystolith, Ecbolium viride, Leaf microscopy, Trichome.

}, keywords = {Acanthaceae, Cystolith, Ecbolium viride, Leaf microscopy, Trichome.}, author = {Francina Cecilia Kalaimaran, and Ravindhran Ramalingam} }