PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDY ON THE STEM OF Ephedra gerardiana

Each medicinal plant or a specific plant part used as crude drug material contains active chemical constituents with a characteristic profile that can be used for chemical quality control and quality assurance. So far, not much pharmacognostical work has been done on Ephedra gerardiana. The present investigation was, therefore, undertaken to evaluate various qualitative and quantitative characteristics of E. gerardiana, the findings of which will be helpful in setting standards of this medicinal plant. E. gerardiana is a gymnospermic plant with xeromorphic characteristics. It has sunken stomata and thick cuticle, and the stem is the photosynthetic organ which may thus be called a phylloclade. True foliage leaves are absent and the whole habit is suggestive of a shrubby Equisetum. The most interesting feature in E. gerardiana is the presence of vessels, resembling those of angiosperms. It shows a general pattern like that of dicot stem, i.e. conjoint, collateral and open vascular bundles with endarch xylem arranged in a ring.