Importance of Pharmacognostic profiles of Medicinal plants

Medicinal plants play an important role in preventive and curative treatments, despite advance in modern medicine. Therapeutic efficacy of medicinal plants depends upon the quality and quantity of chemical constituents. The misuse of herbal medicine or natural products starts with wrong identification. In order to ensure the use of only genuine and uniform material in preparation of herbal formulation, work on standardization was carried out. This book describes the Pharmacognostic and physicochemical studies of some traditionally used medicinal plants of Mizoram. Morphological and anatomical aspects were carried out to identify the diagnostic features of the leaves of Trevesia palmata, Tithonia diversifolia and Blumea lanceolaria. Physicochemical parameters such as total ash, moisture content, water soluble extractive value and alcohol soluble extractive value have been calculated. Pharmacognostic studies ensure plant identity, lays down standardization parameters which will help and prevents adulterations. Such studies will help in authentication of the plants and ensures reproducible quality of herbal products which will lead to safety and efficacy of natural products.