Physicochemical and Phytochemical analysis of Wild and Cultivated Chitrak (Plumbago zeylanica Linn.)

Abstract

Chitrak (Plumbago zeylanica Linn.) is a perennial shrub that grows slowly. Its roots become mature enough for medicinal use after a long time. The major source of Chitrak is wild and mainly roots are used in medicine preparation, so it needs to be uprooted and plant sustainability can’t be maintained. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical and phytochemical parameters of wild and cultivated root, stem, and leaves of Chitrak. Wild and cultivated Chitrak was collected from Kharangana forest and Herbal garden, MGACH&RC, Dist. Wardha respectively in an appropriate season as per the guidelines mentioned in Charak Samhita. Collected plant material was cleaned properly, shed-dried, ground, stored in an airtight container, and labeled for further study. For the Chromatographic study, a standard Plumbagin marker was procured from Sigma Aldrich Company, Bengaluru. This study concluded that all test samples contain Plumbagin but cultivated Chitrak root contains more Plumbagin than leaves and stem. So, according to ancient Ayurveda texts, the use of Chitrak root for various diseases as compared to leaves and stem is justified and ideal as far as the Plumbagin is concerned. But as leaves and stems also contain some amount of Plumbagin then it may be used for less chronic diseases or in patients who cannot tolerate the Tikshnatva and Ushnatva of Chitrak root. In this study, cultivated Chitrak root showed more Plumbagin than the wild source. So we can say that cultivated sources can be used in therapeutics instead of the wild sources after confirmation by clinical trials thereby minimizing the unauthorized collection practices and motivating the cultivation of this plant to some extent.