Pharmacognostical studies of anti-leprosy plant Aristolochia bracteolate retz (aristolochiaceae)

ABSTRACT
Aristolochia bracteolate Retz. (Family: Aristolochiaceae) are important constituents among 22 plants/ parts used in the perpetration of an anti-leprosy drug “SULAK”. The latter is also used in the preparation of “KALMEGH”- an Ayurvedic drug. Pharmaco-chemical data available on A. bracteolate are scanty and totally lacking on the other. The present paper deals with pharmaco-chemical evaluation of the species with the following parameters: organoleptic, microscopic and fluorescence evaluation, estimation of biochemical and geochemical and determination of active principle and physical constants. Since the above species are used in the perpetration of the anti-leprosy drug, their chemical identity is compared with that of standard allopathic anti-loprosy agents like clofazimine, dapsone and riampicin by chemical reaction (IP method) to assess their activity equivalence.