https://impactfactor.org/PDF/IJDDT/16/IJDDT,Vol16,Issue86s,Article169.pdf

Curcuma longa L. (turmeric) is an important medicinal plant widely recognized for its diverse pharmacological properties and characteristic curcuminoid constituents. The present study aimed to establish a comprehensive pharmacognostic and phytochemical standardization profile of C. longa rhizomes using microscopic evaluation, physicochemical parameters, preliminary phytochemical screening, HPTLC fingerprinting, and validated HPLC-DAD quantification of curcumin and demethoxycurcumin. The rhizomes were authenticated on the basis of their macroscopic, microscopic, and powder-microscopic characteristics, while physicochemical evaluation established characteristic moisture, ash, and extractive-value profiles. Preliminary phytochemical screening demonstrated the presence of phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, glycosides, steroids, phytosterols, saponins, and reducing sugars. HPTLC fingerprinting revealed characteristic chromatographic bands, supporting the chemical authentication of the plant material. A validated HPLC-DAD method demonstrated good linearity, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and robustness for simultaneous quantification of the principal curcuminoids. The contents of demethoxycurcumin and curcumin were found to be 8.76 ± 0.28 and 32.84 ± 0.74 mg/g of extract, respectively. The extract exhibited concentration-dependent antioxidant activity in DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging assays and demonstrated reducing capacity in the FRAP assay. In addition, the extract showed concentration-dependent anti-inflammatory activity, although the reference drug diclofenac sodium exhibited greater activity. Overall, the integrated pharmacognostic, chromatographic, and biological evaluation provides a useful framework for authentication, quality control, and standardization of C. longa rhizomes and supports their potential application in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory herbal formulations.