Phytochemical screening, physochemical and microscopical evaluation of Hygrophila difformis aerial parts

Abstract

Herbal plants are marvelous source of traditional & modern medicine, useful for primary health care system globally. Herbal plants are also massive sources of neutraceuticals prevent the different disease and maintain healthy life style. The study of diseases and their treatment are important part of our ancient time worldwide. The awareness of medicinal plants must have been accumulated in the course of many centuries. Herbal medicine prepare different part of plant are used. Hygrophila difformis Blume is well known as water wisteria. It is tropical aquarium plant used as environmental ornaments. It is found in different part of India and Indian subcontinent including Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. The plant is used as coagulant by tribal people of East Medinipur, dist West Bengal, India. The aerial part of the plant showed good anti-oxidant property, anthelmintic activity. Also ethanolic extract of aerial parts of the plant also showed CNS depressant activity. The main aims of this research are Preliminary physico– phytochemical & phytocognostical evaluation of the aerial parts of Hygrophila difformis Blume. The current study deals with the characterization of morphological features, determination of physical parameter such as the total ash value, water soluble ash, acid insoluble ash value were 14%, 5.25%, 6.81% respectively. Loss of drying was 13%, foaming index < 100, swelling index were 0.3cm, the percent yield for petroleum ether 3.29%, cyclo hexane 2.57% chloroform 1.99%, ethanol 9.15%, and aqueous 5.46%. Also determine the presence or absence of phytochemicals such as glycosides, tannins, steroids, flavonoids and saponins.