Pharmacognostical and nutritional assessment of Indigofera cassioides DC. flowers, an ethnomedicinal plant

Abstract

Background: Indigofera cassioides DC.A deciduous shrub of family Fabaceae is an unexplored medicinal plant, being traditionally used in the states of Kerala, Odisha, and Maharashtra. Different parts of the plant have been reported both as a food and in the management of chest pain, cold, asthma, diarrhoea, dysentery and piles. Material and methods: Indigofera cassioides after proper authentication was collected from Paikemal (Odisha), during the month of March and its flowers were studied for microscopic characters, physico-chemical analysis, secondary metabolites screening,   nutritional  values  and heavy metal analysis following standard protocol recommended by the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Result: Powder microscopy shows the presence of simple trachoma, simple starch grain, pollen grain, simple fibers, oil globules, epidermal cells on edge, group of pollen of grains, yellowish brown content, parenchyma cells of corolla, epidermal cells along with stomata, pleuri-cellular trichome. Physicochemical parameters including moisture content, ash value and extractive value of flower powder were reported. Nutritional evaluation shows that sample 1 (one year stored)has the greater nutritive value than the sample 2 (fresh). Flowers tested negative for heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead). Conclusion: The present findings will be useful in establishing pharmacognostic and phytochemical standards for identification as well as assessment of purity and quality of this plant which definitely gaining the relevance in plant drug research and establishment of plant monograph.