Volume 1, Issue 1, March – April 2010; Article 010 International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research Page 50 Available online at www.globalresearchonline.net PRELIMINARY PHARMACOGNOSTIC EVALUATIONS AND PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON ROOTS OF MIMOSA PUDICA (LAJVANTI) Milind Pande * , Anupam Pathak # * NRI Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 3 Sajjansingh Nagar, Raisen Road, Bhopal (MP) 462022 # Department of Pharmacy, Barkatullah University, Hoshangabad Road, Bhopal (MP) 462026 Email: milindpandey2006@rediffmail.com ABSTRACT The roots of Mimosa pudica Linn (Mimosae) are reported to have great medicinal value. Pharmacognostic evaluation including examinations of morphological and microscopic characters, ash value, powder analysis, and extractive values were carried out. Phytochemical screening including qualitative chemical examinations was also carried out. Keywords: mimosa pudica, pharmacognostic, lajvanti, phytoconstituents. INTRODUCTION Mimosa pudica Linn known as sensitive plant in English and lajvanthi or chuimui in local Hindi language. The plant is distributed through out in India in moist locality. A diffuse prickly under shrub, 45 - 90 cm in height. Leaves bipinnately compound, pinnate 2-4, digitately arranged with 10 -20 pairs of leaflets, rachis clothed with ascending bristles. Flowers pink, in globose heads, peduncles prickly, usually in auxiliary pairs all along the branches. Fruits bristly pods, flat, straw coloured, consisting of 3-5 one – seeded segments. The roots and leaves are commonly used in treatment. The roots are bitter, astringent, acrid, cooling vulnerary, alexipharmic, resolvent, diuretic, antispasmodic, emetic, constipating, and febrifuge. They are useful in vitiated conditions of pitta, leucoderma, vaginopathy, metropathy, ulcers, dysentery, inflammations, burning sensation, hemorrhoids, jaundice, asthma, fistula, small pox, strangury, spasmodic, affections and fevers. 1 The leaves are bitter, sudorific and tonic, and are useful in hydrocele, hemorrhoids, fistula, scrofula, conjunctivitis, cuts and wounds and hemorrhages. The whole plant is used internally for vesicle calculi and externally for odema, rheumatism, myalgia and tumors of the uterus. 2 Literature survey on Mimosa pudica suggest various therapeutic use of plant reported such as urolithiasis 3 , ovulation 4 , vibriocidal 5 , antidepressant 6 , estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities 7 , anti implantation and antiestrogenic activity 8 , effects on oestrous cycle and ovulation 9 , hyperglycemic 10 , anticonvulsant activity 11 , hyaluronidase and protease activities 12 . The biomolecules isolated from Mimosa pudica were isolation of tubulin 13 , isolation of C-glycosylflavones 14 , phenolic ketone 15 , a novel buffadienolide 16 , analysis of 27 aromatic amino acids 17 and chemical constituents of C-glycosylflavones. 18 MATERIALS AND METHODS The roots of Mimosa pudica collected in and around Bhopal were identified in Department of Pharmacy, Barkatullah University, Bhopal. A voucher specimen (No BUPH/4041 A) was deposited in the department. The plant was morphologically examined for shape of leaves, apex, base, margin etc. A TS of boiled root in water was prepared and mounted in glycerin on glass slide for identification of internal structures like vascular bundles, pith, cortex and other parts using with iodine and safranin solution. Powder of the dried root was used for the observation of powder microscopic characters. The powder drug was separately treated with phloroglucinol – HCL solution, glycerin and iodine solution to determine the presence of lignified cells, calcium oxalate crystals and starch grains as a part of quantitative microscopy. 19 Total ash, water and alcohol soluble ash, sulphated ash was also determined. Alcohol and water-soluble extractive values were determined. 20 Preliminary Phytochemical studies The powder of dried roots was subjected to continuous soxhlet extraction with various organic solvents such as petroleum ether (60-80 0 c), chloroform, benzene, methanol & ethanol respectively. After concentration and drying of each extract in vacuum desicator identification of phytoconstituents was carried out using thin layer chromatography method by different detecting reagents. 21 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The morphological studies revealed the shape of roots of Mimosa pudica roots occurs in entire condition with secondary and tertiary roots attached. The shape of the root is more or less cylindrical, slightly tapering with branching on all sides. Colour dull reddish brown with rough surface. In transverse section, roots are characterized by the presence of thick brownish continuous layer of cork cells. The corck cells are mostly uniform in shape and in tangential section appear polygonal and more or less iso- dimetric flattened. Below this single flattened layer of endodermis were seen with further converting in medulary rays. The phloem was characterized by the presence of thick walled oval shape cells. Then horizontal tracks of cambium were observed followed by double walled polygonal cells of xylem. At center the small circular pith was seen with dark brown coloured outer covering. Rhomboid crystals of calcium oxalate were also present with simple or compound starch grains. Fig 1