Apart from scientific study, general morphological description like size, colour, taste,

fracture and texture facilitates in identifying plant raw drugs. Consequently macroscopic descriptions of roots were studied according to T.E. Wallis.12 The etymological derivations were compiled from ‘Namarupajnanam’. The term ‘Namarupajnanam’ that represents nama (names) and rupa (characters) developed recently as a part of ‘Dravyagunavijnana’ in which identification of plants is studied in ancient and medieval approach to describe the plants by names and synonyms.13 Physicochemical parameters were done to analyse moisture content, total ash, acid insoluble ash, alcohol solubility and water solubility as per quality standards of API.9 Phytochemical screening was performed by using standard OSI906 procedures14 in order to establish chemical profile. Dried, powdered (mesh size 85) root samples of the species under study were successively extracted with solvents of increasing polarity, hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, methanol and water at 60–70 °C for 8 complete cycles. Selleckchem MEK inhibitor All root extracts were concentrated at 40–45 °C by using a rotary evaporator (Rotavapor R-3, Buchi, Switzerland) to 50 mL and tested for the presence of chemical constituents. One gram of each powdered

root sample of Patala namely, S. chelonoides, S. tetragonum and R. xylocarpa sieved (Mesh No. 85) was refluxed in water bath with methanol (50 mL) and filtered through Whatman No. 1 filter paper. These samples were subjected to extraction until it becomes colourless with same residue. Filtered extracts were evaporated by using rotary evaporator, followed by dissolving the residue with methanol (10 mL) and aliquots were taken for HPTLC analysis. The standard p-coumaric acid (purity ≥98%) HPLC purchased

from Sigma–Aldrich was dissolved in methanol to prepare working solution of 0.1 mg/mL concentration. The qualitative HPTLC analysis was no performed with 10 μL of methanolic extracts and standard solution of different concentrations (2–10 μL containing 20–100 μg/mL) using a solvent system, Toluene: Ethyl Acetate: Acetic Acid: Formic Acid (10:10:0.2:0.2 V/V). After development, the plate was dried in an oven at 110 °C for 10 min. The Rf values of marker and the compound of interest were measured and subjected to densitometric scan at λ = 310 nm in order to check the identity of the bands corresponding to the standard marker compound. The roots of S. chelonoides, S. tetragonum, and R. xylocarpa are similar in colour, texture and taste. The comparative analyses of macroscopic character are given in Table 2. The Ayurvedic literature describes Patala as: it is a tree having black peduncles. The leaflets become very rough on maturity. The flowers are fragrant, copper coloured and look like a pitcher shape. The seeds resemble like that of a human eye ball.