Pharmacognostical Characters of Dried Flowers of Nymphaea stellata Willd.

 

Sachin Uttam Rakesh*, Priyanka R Patil, VR Salunkhe, PN Dhabale and KB Burade

Govt. College of Pharmacy, Vidyanagar, Karad- 415 124, Satara, Maharashtra, India,

*Corresponding Author E-mail: sachinrakesh@rediffmail.com

 

ABSTRACT:

The macroscopic characters of the dried flowers, physical constant values, extractive values, behavior on treatment with different chemical reagent, fluorescence characters under ultra violet light after treatment with different chemical reagents of the dried powder of flowers of N. stellata Willd. (Nymphaeaceae) were studied to fix some pharmacognostical parameters. Preliminary phytochemical studies on different extracts of the dried flowers were also performed.

 

 

 


INTRODUCTION:

Nymphaea stellata Willd. (Nymphaeaceae), a medicinal plant has been mentioned for the treatment of liver disorders in Ayurveda, an ancient system of medicine. The flowers of plant contains1 flavanoids, gallic acid, astragalin, quercetin and kaempferol. And the seeds also contains proteins, pentosan, mucilage etc. The flowers are solitary, 7.5- 15 cm in diameter, usually pale Violet, less commonly light blue or purple, sometimes faintly fragrant, open all the day, peduncles long, sepals many veined, not ribbed, oblong- lanceolate acute or subacute, streaked with purple lines. The leaves, roots and flowers have a wide range of pharmacological activities and are used for diabetes, eruptive fevers and as cardiotonic, emollient, diuretic, narcotic and as an aphrodisiac2,3,. The flowers are said to be refrigerant and alleviatative of cough, billiouseness, vomiting, giddiness, worm infestation and burning of the skin. The decoction of the flowers is used in palpitation of heart, and as a narcotic; syrup of the flowers is used in high fever, apoplexy, inflammatory diseases of the brain as also in dysuria. The filaments of the plants are used as astringent and cooling agent used in burning sensation of the body, bleeding piles and menorrhagia. Leaves are applied topically in erysipelas, whereas the macerated leaves are used as a lotion in eruptive fevers. The seeds are said to be stomachic and restorative. The plant has been reported to have antihepatotoxic4, antidiabetic5, antihyperlipidaemic6 and antihyperglycaemic7 activities.

 

The present investigation deals with the studies on some important pharmacognostical properties of the dried flowers extract of N. stellata and its powdered form.

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Plant materials:

The flowers of N. stellata were collected from Satara Ayurvedic Arkshala, Satara during the month of July. The herbarium of Nymphea stellata Willd. was identified and authenticated from Satara Ayurvedic Arkshala, Satara having voucher no. 648/A dated 30- 06- 2008 and from Prof. B. D. Patil, Department of Botany, Sant Gadage Maharaj College of Science, Tal. Karad, Dist. Satara, M. S. India, having voucher no. SGM/BDP/03/2008.

The flowers were shed dried, powdered and kept ready for further use.

 

Reagents:

All the reagents were of analytical grade and purchased from Loba Chemie Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai.

 

Methods:

The macroscopic characters (colour, odour, size, shape, taste, surface, texture) of the dried flowers were observed8. The ash values of dried flowers were determined by Pharmacopoeial methods9. The extractive values were determined by successively starting from petroleum ether (60- 800 C), chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and hydro alcohol (ethanol 70% and water 30%) by using Soxhlet extraction apparatus. The dried extractives were obtained after evaporation of Solvent under reduced pressure. The behaviors of the powdered flowers with different chemical reagents were studied and the fluorescence characters were also observed under ultra violet at 254 nm10. Preliminary phytochemical tests of different extractives were performed by specific reagents11,12.

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The macroscopic characters are shown in Table 1. The physical constant values includes, total ash, acid insoluble ash, alcohol (90%) and water soluble extractive are reported in Table 2.

 

 

Table 1: Macroscopic character of flowers of N. stellata Willd.

Colour

The fresh flowers are blue to bluish violet, dried flowers are grayish to white grayish in colour, internally slight blackish.

Odour

Fresh flower has sometimes faintly fragrant, dried flower has no specific odour.

Size

Fresh flower is 7.5- 15 cm in diameter and dried flower is 3.5 to 6 cm in length.

Shape

Peduncles long, sepals many veined, not ribbed, oblong- lanceolate acute or subacute, streaked with purple lines

Taste

Slightly bitter

 

Table 2: Physical constant values of N. stellata. Flowers.

Parameters

Percentage

Total ash

5.5%

Acid insoluble ash

1.2%

Alcohol (90%) soluble extractive

35%

Water soluble extractive

25%

Loss on drying

1.2%

Foreign organic matter

-

The water soluble extractive is less as compared with alcohol (90%) soluble extractive. The extractive values obtained after successive extraction is reported in Table 3.

 

Table 3: Extractive values of N. stellata.

Solvents

Percentage of extractive values

Colour of extract

Petroleum ether (60- 800 C)

4.5%

Yellowish green

Chloroform

7.7%

Pale green

Ethyl acetate

10%

Yellowish brown

Methanol

13%

Blackish

Hydro- alcohol (70%)

15%

Brown

 

The petroleum ether shows minimum extractive value, whereas hydroalcohol shows maximum, extractive. The results of preliminary phytochemical tests for the presence of active constituents are reported in Table 4. It is confirmed that dried flowers contain reducing sugar, sterol, saponin, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, tannins. The behavior of the powdered flowers on treatment with different chemical reagents and the fluorescence characters of the same under ultra violet light are shown in Table 5 and Table 6 respectively.

 

Table 4: Preliminary phytochemical tests for the presence of active constituents in N. stellata

Name of test

PE

CH

EA

ME

HA

Test for carbohydrates:

a)          Fehling test (for reducing              sugar)

b)           Barfoed test (for                monosaccharides)

c)            Non reducing sugars

 

-

-

-

 

-

-

-

 

+

-

-

 

+

-

+

 

+

-

+

Test for Steroids

a)           Salkowski reaction

b)           Liebermann Buchard                test

 

+

+

 

+

+

 

-

-

 

+

+

 

+

+

Test for Glycosides

a)           Cardiac Glycosides

1.            Keller Killani test

2.            Legal`s test

b)           Anthraquinone                Glycosides

1.            Borntrager`s test

c)            Saponins

1.            Foam test

 

 

-

-

 

-

 

-

 

 

-

-

 

-

 

-

 

 

+

+

 

-

 

-

 

 

+

+

 

+

 

+

 

 

+

+

 

+

 

+

Test for Flavanoids

a)           Shinoda test

b)           Lead acetate test

 

+

+

 

+

+

 

+

+

 

+

+

 

+

+

Test for Alkaloids

a)           Wagners test

b)           Dragendorffs test

 

-

-

 

-

-

 

-

-

 

-

+

 

-

+

Test for Tannins

a)           Ferric chloride test

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

+

 

+

PE- Petroleum ether; CH- Chloroform; EA- Ethyl acetate; ME- Methanol; HA Hydroalcohol; + Present, - Absent.

 

 

Table 5:  Colour of the powdered flowers of N. stellata on treatment with different reagents.

Reagents

Colour of Powder

Picric acid (Saturated aqueous solution)

Yellowish

Nitric acid (specific gravity 1.42)

Reddish

Hydrochloric acid (specific gravity 1.16)

No change

Sulphuric acid (80%)

Brownish black

Glacial acetic acid

Grayish

Sodium hydroxide (5 N aqueous solution)

Yellowish

Iodine (aqueous solution)

Reddish

Ferric chloride (aqueous solution 5%)

Brownish black

Antimony trichloride

Brownish

Powder as such

Brownish

 

Table 6: Fluorescence characters of the powder of flowers of N. stellata under ultra violet light.

Treatment

Fluorescence

Powdered mounted with nitrocellulose

Yellowish white

Powder treated with sodium hydroxide in methanol

Green

Powder treated with sodium hydroxide in methanol- dried and mounted with nitrocellulose

Yellowish brown

Powder treated with hydrochloric acid

Green

Powder treated with hydrochloric acid- dried ad mounted with nitrocellulose

Reddish

Powder treated with sodium hydroxide in water

Greenish

Powder treated with sodium hydroxide in water dried- and mounted with nitrocellulose

Brown

Powder treated with nitric acid diluted with equal volume of water

Brownish

Powder treated with sulphuric acid diluted with equal volume of water

Greenish

Powder as such

Brownish

CONCLUSION:

Finally, it is concluded that the preliminary phytochemical tests are also important for identification of crude drugs and determination of impurity in that. These pharmacognostical parameters can also used for fixation of standards in official book.

 

REFERENCES:

1.       Kizu H, Tomimori T. Phenolic Constituents from the Flowers of Nymphaea stellata. Nat Med. 2003; 57 (3): 118.

2.       Nadakarni, K.M. Vol. I, 3rd eds. Indian Materia Medica. Popular Book Depot, Dhoot Papeshwar, Bombay, 1954, 860.

3.       Kirtikar KR., Basu B. D. Vol. I. 2nd eds, Indian medicinal plants Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun: International Book Distributors, 1999, 114.

4.       Manoj R. Bhandarkar, Aqueel Khan. Antihepatotoxic effect of Nymphaea stellata willd., against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage in albino rats. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2004; 91: 61–64.

5.       Subbulakshmi G, Mridula Naik. Indigenous foods in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Bombay Hosp J.  2001; 43: 548-561.

6.       Rajagopal K, Sasikala K. Hypoglycemic and Antihyperglycemic Activity of Nymphaea stellata Flowers in Normal and Alloxan Diabetic Rats, Pharmaceutical Biology. 2008; 46 (9): 654 – 659.

7.       Rajagopal K, Sasikala K. Antihyperglycaemic and antihyperlipidaemic effects of Nymphaea stellata in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Singapore Med J. 2008; 49 (2) : 137

8.       Wallis TE. Textbook of Pharmacognosy. 3rd edition. CBS Publishers and Distributiors, Delhi, 1985.

9.       The Indian Pharmacopoeia, 2nd eds, Govt. of India Publication, Delhi, 1966, 947- 948,.

10.     Raghunanthan K and Mitra R. Pharmacognosy of indigenous drugs vol. I and II. Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha, New Delhi, 1982.

11.     Trease GE and Evans WC Pharmacognosy. 12th eds ELBS publication 1985.

12.    Tyler VE Brady LR, Robbers JE Pharmacognosy. 9th eds. Lea and Febiger publication, Philadelphia, 1985.

 

 

 

Received on 08.06.2009       Modified on 03.08.2009

Accepted on 12.09.2009      © RJPT All right reserved

Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 3(2): April- June 2010; Page 406-408