MACROSCOPIC EVALUATION OF THE IDENTITY OF DANTI, ITS ADULTERANTS AND MARKET SAMPLES

Danti consists of dried root of Baliospermum montanum Muell.-Arg. (Family- Euphorbiaceae); a leafy undershrub, distributed in outer range of Himalayas from Kashmir to Assam and in moist deciduous forests elsewhere in India. This study conducts macroscopic evaluation of Danti with its adulterants/substitutes and market samples of Mumbai, Kottakal and Jaipur markets. The vernacular name of Baliospermum montanum, Croton tiglium and Jatropha curcas are confounded with each other in most districts of India, particularly in Madras. Roots of Ricinus communis Linn. is the common adulterant of Danti. The samples found from the different markets during the time of the study were not the roots of Danti.