Pharmacognostic, Physicochemical and Phytochemical Screening of Enicostema axillare

Enicostema axillare is a perennial herb of the family Gentianaceae. The bitter-natured plant acts as a laxative, helps cure fever, rheumatism, and skin diseases, and is widely used in traditional medicine. Shade-dried whole plant material was subjected to Soxhlet extraction with Ethanol. The extracts were evaluated by chemical examination and chromatographic method for the presence of phytoconstituents. Morphological studies indicate Simple, and oblong to lanceolate leaves, sub-quadrangular or terete stems, and tubular roots. Microscopic studies indicate that leaves have diacytic and anisocytic stomata on the lower surface. Single-layered upper epidermis with thick-walled cuticle, and non- glandular trichomes in leaves, stem, and root. Root shows secondary growth; vascular tissue is in an ending arch condition. Phytochemical studies indicate that the plant contains carbohydrates, proteins, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, terpenoids, and saponins. Percentage yield of ethanolic extract were 8%, alcohol -soluble extractive value 15.2%, water–soluble extractive value 18%, moisture content 5%, total ash 11.5%, acid-insoluble ash 6.5%, water-soluble ash were 7.5%, and in TLC analysis, Rf values were found to be 0.81,0.86,0.9. Key words: Phytochemistry, Physicochemical, Microscopic, TLC