PHYSICOCHEMICAL STANDARDIZATION AND PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF TECTONA GRANDIS LINN. LEAF CHURNA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BISARI (WHITLOW)

Tectona grandis Linn. is an important medicinal plant described in Ayurveda for its therapeutic utility in wound management and inflammatory disorders. The leaves are traditionally applied in conditions such as Bisari (Whitlow). The present study was undertaken to evaluate the pharmacognostical, physicochemical, phytochemical, and thin layer chromatographic characteristics of Tectona grandis leaves in order to establish standardization parameters. Fresh leaves were collected, authenticated, shade-dried, and powdered for analysis. Pharmacognostical evaluation including macroscopy, microscopy, and powder microscopy was carried out using standard procedures. Physicochemical parameters such as loss on drying, ash values, extractive values, and pH were determined according to standard guidelines. Preliminary phytochemical screening of various solvent extracts and TLC profiling of the methanolic extract were also performed. The study revealed characteristic pharmacognostical features useful for identification of the crude drug. Physicochemical analysis indicated acceptable moisture content and purity of the plant material. Preliminary phytochemical screening demonstrated the presence of flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, proteins, and carbohydrates in different extracts. TLC profiling exhibited multiple separated bands with characteristic Rf values, confirming the presence of diverse phytoconstituents. The findings support the traditional therapeutic relevance of Tectona grandis leaves and provide useful reference standards for identification, authentication, and quality control of the plant material.