Pharmacognostical evaluation of leaf buds of Ficus bengalensis L.

Ficus bengalensis belongs to family Moraceae is a large and extensively growing tree across Indian continent. The aim of present study was to investigate the pharmacognostical characters of important medicinal plant, Ficus bengalensis L. (Moraceae). The pharmacognostic studies were carried out in terms of macroscopical, microscopical characters, physicochemical parameters of F. bengalensis. Samples of different plant parts were fixed with formalin, acetic acid and ethyl alcohol (FAA), sectioned with rotary microtome and studied under microscope. Some of the diagnostic of the leaf buds were presence of uniserrate simple trichomes in sheath on both the surfaces, presence of simple starch grains, rosette calcium oxalate crystals and brown tannin content in the parenchymatous cells and presence of closely arranged thin walled rounded to tangentially elongated brown tannin color parenchymatous cells. Further, ash and extractive values were calculated as per WHO guidelines. The preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of sterols/ triterpenes, lactones, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, resins and carbohydrates. Various pharmacognostical characters were observed in study which can help in identification and standardization of F. bengalensis