Pharmacognostic standardization of Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward

Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward (Turneraceae) has been used traditionally as an aphrodisiac, stimulant, nerve tonic, and laxative and in kidney, menstrual, and pregnancy disorders. Despite a long tradition of use in the treatment of various ailments, no systematic phytochemical and pharmacological work has ever been carried out on T. aphrodisiaca. The authors suggest that the major stumbling block in systematic exploration of the plant is non-availability of authentic plant material. In the present investigation, various pharmacognostic standards for the plant have been generated so that authentic T. aphrodisiaca could be explored for its traditional claims. Microscopically, T. aphrodisiaca leaf showed the presence of abundant unicellular, warty, non-glandular trichomes, anomocytic stomata, and a large number of calcium oxalate crystals along the veins. Powdered stem of the plant showed lignified spiral and pitted tracheidal vessels, and pericyclic fibers were observed in powder microscopy of stem. Total ash of the aerial parts of T. aphrodisiaca was approximately eight and four times more than acid-insoluble and water-soluble ash, respectively. The water-soluble extractive value of the plant was slightly higher than its ethanol-soluble extractive value. Volatile oil content of T. aphrodisiaca was found to be 0.44% (wt/vol), the thin-layer chromatography of which exhibited seven spots using toluene:ethyl acetate (93:7 vol/vol) as mobile phase. Thin-layer chromatography of the petroleum ether extract showed nine spots using hexane:dichloromethane (1:1 vol/vol), while the chloroform extract showed 11 spots using toluene:ethyl acetate:glacial acetic acid (35:4:1 by volume). Phytochemically, the plant was found to contain alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, steroids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, carbohydrates, and proteins.