PHARMACOGNOSTICAL EVALUATION OF JUSTICIA GENDARUSSA BURM

Justicia gendarussa (JG) is a shade-loving, quick-growing, evergreen shrub mostly found in moist areas,which grows along the beds of streams in the Himalayas. In Indian and Chinese traditional medicine,the leaf of the plant is recommended to treat ailments such as fever, hemiplegia, rheumatism, arthritis,headache, earache, muscle pain, respiratory disorders and digestive trouble. The physicochemicaland pharmacognostical evaluation was carried out according to the official methods mentioned in TheAyurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. The parameters such as foreign matter, ash value, moisture contentwere determined. Qualitative analysis of different phytochemicals present in the plant was done andpowder microscopical characters were recorded. The microscopical feature of leaf of Justicia gendarussais reported. In the study, an attempt is made to fix the standards for Justicia gendarussa, which can beutilised in identification and authentification of purity of the plant.