~ 398 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2020; 9(5): 398-401 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 www.phytojournal.com JPP 2020; 9(5): 398-401 Received: 24-06-2020 Accepted: 20-07-2020 Madhavan Manju Vimala College (Autonomous), Thrissur, Kerala, India Tharakan Sheeja T Vimala College (Autonomous), Thrissur, Kerala, India Corresponding Author: Madhavan Manju Vimala College (Autonomous), Thrissur, Kerala, India Pharmacognostic evaluation and anthelmintic activity of leaf and stem extracts of Clinacanthus nutans Lindau Madhavan Manju and Tharakan Sheeja T DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/phyto.2020.v9.i5f.12258 Abstract Clinacanthus nutans Lindau (Vishamooli) is an exotic plant to India belonging to the family Acanthaceae. This plant has diverse potential medicinal uses in traditional herbal medicine and is well studied in South Asian Countries. In this study the physicochemical constants, phytochemical screening, total phenol quantification and anthelmintic property is evaluated. It is observed that the acetone and water extracts of leaf and stem had the same phenolic content. The anthelmintic activity of the aqueous extracts of leaves and stem was evaluated by using Pheretima posthuma as test worms. The time of paralysis and time of death were studied and the activity was compared with albendazole as reference standard. The aqueous extract of stem and leaves at 10mg/ml exhibited significant anthelmintic activity as evidenced by decreased paralyzing time and death time. The results thus support the use of C. nutans as an anthelmintic agent. Keywords: Clinacanthus nutans, physicochemical constants, phytochemical screening, total phenol quantification, anthelmintic activity Introduction Medicinal plants have been used in traditional medicine since prehistoric times. These plants contain numerous phytochemicals with known or unknown activity; however, the effect of using a whole plant as medicine is uncertain [1] . Therapeutic efficacy of medicinal plants depends upon the quality and quantity of its chemical constituents. Wrong identification is one of the reasons for the misuse of herbal medicines or natural products. All these problems can be solved through pharmacognostic studies of medicinal plants. Pharmacognostic studies ensure correct identification of the plants and help in authentication of the plants and reproducible quality of herbal products which will lead to the safety and efficiency of herbal drugs [2] . Clinacanthus nutans Lindau (Vishamooli) is an exotic plant mainly found in Kerala, India [3] . C. nutans, which belongs to the Acanthaceae family, is a very well-known traditional herb and vegetable in Southeast Asian countries [4] . This plant has diverse and potential medicinal uses in traditional herbal medicine for treating skin rashes, insects and snake bites, lesions caused by herpes simplex virus, diabetes, and gout in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China 5 . Phytochemical investigations documented the varied contents of bioactive compounds from this plant namely flavonoids, glycosides, glycoglycerolipids, cerebrosides and monoacyl monogalactosylglycerol [6] . The pharmacological experiment proved that various types of extracts and pure compounds from this species exhibited a broad range of biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic activities [7, 8] . Even though the plant is studied for its properties in South Asian countries, in India research works on this plant is very less reported. The plant is mostly grown as a garden plant and its leaf paste is used for treating insect bites. In this present study an attempt is made to understand this wonderful exotic shrub C. nutans Lindau more closely. The main purpose of the present study is to explore pharmacognostic profile, phytochemistry, total phenol quantification of aqueous, acetone and petroleum ether extract and anthelmintic potential of aqueous extract of C. nutans. Materials and Methods Pharmacognostic Evaluation Physio-chemical parameters such as moisture content, total ash, acid-insoluble ash and extractive values were determined as per the Standard Indian Pharmacopoeia methods.