Abstract:
Acacia ferruginea DC. (Family: Mimosaceae) is an important Ayurvedic drug. Traditionally, the stem bark of this
plant are used for treating various human ailments like leucoderma, ulcers, piles, inflammation, helminthiasis,
dysentery, diabetes etc. In spite of having several medicinal properties, no standardization parameters have been
laid down for the stem bark in the literature. Therefore, in the present paper, we report the macroscopical and
microscopical characters, physicochemical parameters such as moisture content, ash value, extractive values,
fluorescence analysis and preliminary phytochemical analysis of the stem bark. Transverse section of the bark
shows presence of cork, phellogen, phelloderm, sclerenchymatous tissue and secondary phloem region. The powder
microscopy revealed presence of pieces of cork, parenchyma, xylem vessels, phloem fibres, stone cells, calcium
oxalate crystals and starch grains. The preliminary phytochemical screening of different extracts revealed presence
of alkaloids, steroids, triterpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds, carbohydrates, gums
and mucilages, proteins and amino acids respectively in the bark. These findings will be useful towards establishing
pharmacognostic standards on identification, purity and quality of the plant.
