Abstract

There have been tremendous malpractices in trade of medicinal plants. There are a lot of medicinal floras sold in the market in the form of small twigs, pieces of roots, stems or leaves of which decoction is made and consumed. The consumers are unaware of the authenticity of these crude products which lead to the deterioration in their health owing to the consumption of inferior quality of products or their substitute or the illicit bioadulterants which look like any other common plant part. Microscopy can be used as a technique which can help to differentiate between the look alike plant parts and guide the consumers towards the quality parameters of the phytomedicines consumed by them and their family. Each plant part has its own arrangement of cells (medullary rays and bast fibres) and some peculiar characteristics that belong to the flora of that species only and this forms the basis of individualization among the similar looking parts. The study presented here describes the histological profile of roots of five medicinal floras that are extensively used in the herbal formulations as laghupanchmoola (Solanum indicum, Tribulus terrestris, Solanum xanthocarpum, Uraria picta and Desmodium gangeticum). The present study aims at standardising the histological examination of herbal plants and acts as an identification marker in the case of bioadulteration with different species.

Key words: Bioadulteration, Histological, Identification Marker, Laghupanchmoola, Medicinal Flora, Microscopy, Phytomedicine