INTRODUCTION:

Artemisia maritima is a deciduous shrub which consists of the dried and unexpanded flower heads and leaves of the plant belonging to family compositae. It is also called Santonica. It grows up to 100 cm in height and distinguished by its short, white-tomentose, 2-pinnatisect leaves with linear segments. Dried closed flower heads are 2.4 cm long and nearly 1 mm broad, green in colour. Seeds are minute and oval in shape¹. It has a strong agreeable odour. The plant is reported to possess hepatoprotective², antimicrobial³, insecticidal⁴, cytotoxic and antitumor⁵ activities. Traditionally the fresh and dried extracts of top foliage and shoots are given to children against tapeworms and roundworms infestation. It is a bitter aromatic herb or low shrub with much divided leaves and inconspicuous flowers born on numerous small heads⁶. Flower heads are not round and hairy and when rubbed, it has a strong agreeable odour and they are blunt at end fusiform and pale greenish brown, smooth and resembling seeds in appearance, but consisting of imbricated involucral scales with a green midrib, enclosing four or five tubular flowers.

Flowers are yellow in colour while all other parts are whitish grey. It is bitter and camphoraceous in taste. This drug consists of yellow or brownish flower heads, which are oval in shape. Flowers are fertile with tubular corolla and short cylindrical tube and narrow limb. Calyx is absent^7.The seeds are bitter in taste and they are used as stomachic, appetizer, and aphrodisiac, anthelmintic and in curing indigestion, abdominal pain, mucous diarrhoea. The herb has a bitter bad taste and it is used as laxative, anthelmintic, alexiteric, vulnerary; stops expectoration and removes bad humours; cures scorpion-sting; useful in toothache, griping, opthalmia, and inflammation. In Bombay, the Hakims prescribe it in dose of 2 to 3 drachms as an anthelmintic, and also deobstruent and stomachic tonic. In the form of poultice, they used to relieve the pain caused by bites of scorpions and other venomous reptiles. It is indigenous to Southern Afghanistan and Baluchistan, and is much used as an antiperiodic. An infusion (and also decoction) of the fresh plant is used in case of ague, intermittent and remittent fever. It is very useful febrifue⁸. The present investigation deals with the studies on some important pharmacognostical properties of the dried flower heads of Artemisia maritima Linn. and its powder.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Plant material:

The flower heads of Artemisia maritima (fig-1) was collected from Baramulla district (Kashmir) in the month of July. The plant was identified and authenticated by botanist, Dr. Saroj Arora, Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Its voucher number (0401/Hbr) specimen was deposited in the same department for reference.

Processing of Plant material:

After authentication, aerial part was dried at room temperature until they were free from the moisture and subjected to physical evaluation with different parameters.

Reagents:

All the reagents were of Analytical grade and purchased from S.D Fine- Chem. Ltd., Mumbai, India.

Methods:

The organoleptic characters including colour, odour, taste and external features of flower heads of Artemisia maritima were observed⁹ and the results were recorded in Table1 along with Artemisia plant shown in figure 1. The microscopy of flower heads was also studied after treatment with different reagents prepared according to WHO Guidelines¹⁰. The `extractive values were determined by successively starting from petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol by using soxhlet extraction apparatus. The dried extractive values were obtained after evaporation of solvent under reduced pressure using vaccum rotary evaporator. The behaviour of the powdered flower heads with different chemical reagents were studied and fluorescence characters were also observed under ultraviolet and visible light¹¹(compared with nerolac synthetic and satin enamel colour card). Preliminary phytochemical tests of different extracts were performed by specific reagents^{12, 13}.

Table 1: Organoleptic characters of the flower heads of Artemisia maritima

Organoleptic Characters	Observations
Type	Simple
Colour	Pale brown on external surface Pale brown on internal surface
Odour	Strong agreeable and aromatic
Taste	Bitter
Size	2.2-2.4 mm long 1-1.5 mm wide
Shape	Oval

Fig1. Artemisia plant

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The dried flower heads of Artemisia maritima Linn. were subjected to standard procedures according to WHO Guidelines for the determination of various physicohemical parameters. The following parameters were determined:

Ash Values:

The determination of ash value is meant for detecting low-grade drugs, exhausted drugs, sandy or earthy matter. The results of ash values were recorded in Table 2.

Table 2. Physicochemical parameters of flower heads of Artemisia maritima

Parameters	Values obtained (% w/w)
Total ash	14.3
Acid insoluble ash	3.7
Water soluble ash	5.1
Sulphated ash	2.3
Swelling index	5.1

Extractive Values:

This method determines the amount of active constituents extracted with solvents from a given amount of medicinal plant material. It is employed for materials for which as yet no suitable chemical or biological assay exists. The air dried, accurately weighed drug was treated with solvents: petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The values were recorded in Table 3.

Table 3. Extractive values of flower heads of Artemisia maritima

Solvents	SEV (% w/w)	CMV (% w/w)
Petroleum ether	3.5	3.0
Benzene	4.2	3.5
Chloroform	6.0	5.0
Ethyl acetate	6.5	5.6
Methanol	13.0	11.8

Abbr.

SEV: Successive extractive value

CMV: Cold maceration value

Fluorescence analysis:

The powdered drug was examined under ordinary light, short UV (254nm) and long UV (360nm) light using different solvents and compared with nerolac synthetic and satin enamel colour reference card. The results were recorded in Table 4.

Phytochemical screening:

The plant material may be subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening for the detection of various plant constituents. The extracts obtained from successive solvent extraction were subjected to qualitative test for the identification of various plant constituents like alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, proteins and amino acids, saponins, steroids, sterols, acidic compounds, mucilage and resins. The results were recorded in Table 5.

Behaviour analysis of powder flower heads of Artemisia maritima with various chemical reagents:

The powdered drug was analysed by using different chemical reagents such as concentrated hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, sodium hydroxide and picric acid etc. The results were recorded in Table 6.

Table 4. Fluoresence analysis of powder of flower heads of Artemisia maritima with various chemical reagents under visible light, short and long U.V. (Compared with nerolac synthetic and satin enamel)

Solvents	Visible light	UV (254nm)	UV(366nm)
Drug Powder	Light greenish brown	Leaf brown	Black
H₂SO₄	Light greenish brown	Leaf brown	Black
H₂SO₄+ H₂O	Light greenish brown	Dark greenish brown	Black
Conc. HCl	Greenish brown	Black	Black
Conc. HCl + H₂O	Light greenish brown	Leaf brown	Black
Conc. HNO₃	Brown	Leaf brown	Brownish black
Conc.HNO₃ +H₂O	Greenish brown	Leaf brown	Black
Acetic acid	Light yellowish	Yellowish brown	Black
Methanol	Golden brown	Dark brown	Black
Ethanol	Light brown	Greenish brown	Black
Chloroform	Greenish brown	Dark brown	Black
Pet. Ether	Greenish brown	Light greenish brown	Black
Distilled water	Light yellowish brown	Yellowish brown	Mahogany
10% NaOH	Light yell brown	Yellowish brown	Mahogany
5% Iodine	Light greenish brown	Greenish brown	Black

Table 5. Phytochemical screening of flower heads of Artemisia maritima

Phyto constituents	PEE	BE	CE	EAE	ME
Alkaloids	+++	-	-	-	+
Glycosides	-	++	++	-	++
Proteins and Amino acids	-	+	-	-	-
Carbohydrates	+	-	++	++	++
Tannins	+	-	-	-	-
Fats and Fixed oils	+	-	-	-	-
Acids	+	-	+	-	-
Saponins	-	-	-	-	-
Steroids	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++
Flavonoids	-	++	-	+	+
Phenols	+	-	-	+	+

Abrr.

PEE: Petroleum ether extract BE: Benzene extract

CE: Chloroform extract EAE: Ethyl acetate extract

ME: Methanol extrac

Table 6: Behaviour Analysis of powder flower heads of Artemisia maritima with various chemical reagents.

Procedure	Observations
Powder	Greenish brown
Powder + conc. HCl	Greenish brown
Powder + conc. H₂SO₄	Dark reddish brown
Powder + conc.HNO₃	Reddish brown
Powder + Acetic acid	Greenish brown
Powder + Picric acid	Yellowish green
Powder + 5% iodine solution	Yellowish brown
Powder + 5% NaOH	Dark reddish brown
Powder + FeCl₃	Yellowish green

CONCLUSION:

Generated data can be used for determining correct identity and purity of plant parts and for the detection of adulteration. Botanical authentication and physicochemical parameters will give an idea about the quality of drug. All those parameters which are being reported could be useful in identification of distinctive features of the drug. From the preliminary phytochemical study, it was concluded that only selected species of Artemisia maritima contains the reported phtoconstituents. Hence, detailed screening may be done to isolate the active constituents so that it may be scientifically proved to access the pharmacological responses of the plant to ascertain its folklore uses.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The authors wish to thank SBS College of Pharmacy, Patti, for providing necessary facilities.

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Received on 13.06.2011 Modified on 23.06.2011

Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 4(8): August 2011; Page 1320-1322