Pharmacognostic and physico-chemical evaluation of Lactuca sativa L.

Abstract

Lactuca sativa L. is an erect, annual herb belonging to the family Asteraceae. The leaves are useful in angina pectoris, ascitis, asthma, constipation, cough, diarrhea, hysteria, gonorrhoea, affections of liver and spleen and pain in pylorus and spinal cord. Leaves are long, thin, orbicular or oblong, obovate, crisp and radical. The trichomes are uniseriate filiform capitate, uniseriate macroform conical and biseriate filiform capitate types; mesophyll is undifferentiated; laticiferous ducts and prismatic crystals are present in ground tissue; midvein bundle is bicollateral. The powder microscopic and organoleptic characters are provided. Physico-chemical parameters of raw drug viz., extractive values, ash values, formulation, besides weight per ml., total solids, alcohol content along with thin layer chromatography (TLC) and ultraviolet spectroscopic (UV) studies have been undertaken for mother tincture for the first time.