PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF KOKILAKSHA (ASTERACANTHA LONGIFOLIA NEES)

Abstract

Asteracantha longifolia Nees family Acanthaceae is commonly known Kokilasha found in
moist places, banks of rivers, ditches and paddy fields. It is also found in India, Burma, Africa,
Malaysia Sri-Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Nepal. Asteracantha longifolia extensively used
in traditional system of medicine to treat various ailments and this plant mentioned in
Ayurvedic treatise like “Charka Samhita” and “Sushruta Samhita” as Rasayan or rejuvenator.
Asteracantha longifolia is used for the treatment of several diseases such as jaundice, dropsy,
dysentery and diabetes, rheumatism, edema, inflammation, kidney stones, pain, aphrodisiac,
liver dysfunction, malaria, gout, urinary affections, dysuria, cough, diarrhoea, thirst, urinary
calculi, urine discharges and treatment of blood disorders and also used to preparation of
herbal formulations. On the basis of therapeutic characters a detailed study of Kokilasha
different parts (root, stem and leaf) such as macroscopy, microscopy, and powder microscopy
studies, physicochemical parameters, preliminary phytochemical screening, development of
HPTLC fingerprints profile and detection of heavy metals, tools were carried out. The
established parameters can be used as standards for identification and quality control of the
plants in compound formulations and also preparation of a monograph of the plant Kokilasha
plant.