Pharmacognostical and Preliminary Phytochemical Evaluation of Clitoria ternatea leaves

Clitoria ternatea L. (Family: Fabaceae) a perennial twing herb, steams are terete, more or less pubescent. Root is bitter in taste used to cure sever bronchitis, asthma. In Kokan root juice s given in cold milk to remove the phlegm in chronic bronchitis. C. ternatea have reported number of pharmacological activities such as nootropic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. In present study pharmacognostic investigation of leaves was carried out by using morphological, microscopic and physicochemical parameters. It was found that leaves are odd pinnately compound, with obovate in shape, entire margin, Emarginate tip and symmetrical base, green in color, bitter in taste, with characteristic odor. Microscopic study reveals that presence of Upper and lower epidermis consists of single layer of cells covered with thick cuticle. Covering trichomes are present on both the surfaces. The upper and lower epidermis is followed collenchymatous cells. The upper epidermis consists of polygonal tabular cells, followed by layer of palisade cells, lignified xylem and paracytic stomata. The powder is green in colour and contains paracytic stomata, covering trichomes, fibres, wavy epidermal cells, covering trichomes and presewnce of starch grain in epidermal cell Physicochemical parameter observed that 13.2 ± 3.49 total ash, 4.8 ± 2.16 acid insoluble ash and 5.3 ± 0.08 water soluble ash. The moisture content found to be 12.5±2.57. Water soluble and alcohol soluble extractive value found to be 25.2 and 18.4 respectively.