![Article Image](http://wjpst.com/uploads/editions/edition_image.jpg)
PHYTO-PHARMACOGNOSTICAL INVESTIGATION ON STEM OF CESTRUM NOCTURUM L. - AN EXTRA PHARMACOPOEIAL PLANT
The family, Solanaceae, also known as Potato or Nightshade family bears some ornamental plants like Cestrum diurnum, Nicotina alata, Hyoscymus niger, Cestrum nocturnum, Petunia hybrid etc having economic importance. C. nocturnum L. is one such plant, which is an extra pharmacopoeial drug, cultivated as ornamental plants throughout India. C. nocturnum having folklore claims like fruits are used as anti spasmodic and anti-epileptic purpose. The leaves have significant analgesic and anti-bactericidal, anti-viral, antifungal, cardiotonic, haemolytic and cytotoxic activity. C. nocturnum is an evergreen shrub with oblong-lanceolate leaves, greenish white or creamy white coloured flowers which opening after sunset seizing very sweet scent in night. Stem is greenish in colour, thick, cylindrical, straight, fibrous, with proper nodes and internodes with numerous lenticels. The diagrammatic T.S. of the stem is more or less circular in outline. 4-5 layers of well developed cork followed by wide parenchymatous cortex embedded with rosette and prismatic crystals and starch grains. Underneath the cortex, pericyclic fibres are present in discontinuous ring. Vascular bundle arranged circularly, covering centrally located large pith. Greenish yellow coloured stem powder shows rosette crystals, simple starch grains, tannin content cells of cortical region, phloem fibres and fragment of pitted vessel. Stem powder contain 5.88% moisture content and the presence of secondary metabolites like alkaloid. Chromatographic study gives two spots at 366 nm. The results obtained from the pharmacognostical and phyto-pharmaceutical study can be helpful in further standardization of the plant at macroscopy as well as microscopic level.