1.

Introduction

Indian sub-continent is a rich source of plant and animal wealth, which is due to its varied geographical and agro-climatic regions. Besides it's varied biodiversity, it has a diverse cultural heritage too. Though at present Indian health care delivery consists of medicine like both traditional and modem systems of medicines, both organized traditional systems of have been #ourishing well. yurveda and !iddha are of Indian origin and accounted for

yurveda, !iddha and "nani and unorganized systems like folk medicine

about $%& health care delivery in general and '(& of rural Indian population depends on these traditional systems. These two systems of medicine use plants, minerals, metals and animals as source of drugs, plants being the ma)or source. It is estimated that roughly *(%% plant species in yurveda and *+%% plant species in !iddha have been used for drug preparation ,-ain, *./', 0rishnakumar and !ureshkumar, *..(1. In Indian folk medicine use, about '(%% plant species are recorded as medicinal plants , nonymous, *..$1. Though the Indian traditional systems of medicine are time-tested and practiced identity of crude drugs, methods of preparation and 2uality of 3nished products. successfully from time immemorial, there is lack of standardization with regard to

Te4tual variations e4ist among the innumerable literatures on traditional medicine on the constituents of a drug, methods of preparation and the names of medicinal plants. 5ultitude of vernacular names of medicinal plants found in the literatures pose problems in identifying the correct botanical names of medicinal plants. nd, it is worst confounded with the use of di6erent vernacular names, for the same plant, in di6erent localities in the country. 7ernacular names of some medicinal plants whose botanical identity are not known or ambiguous, 3nd place in standard formularies and pharmacopoeia ,84ample9 'Avilthol and 'Kiliyooral' have no botanical identity , nonymous, *.'+1 and for the mentioned ,5uker)i, *.(:1. !tandardization of herbal drugs is most desirable at this time when world- wide interest

!anskrit name 'Punarnava' two plants Trianthema portulacostrum, and Boerhaavia repens are

on herbal medicine has gained momentum. Besides lack of standardization, unscrupulous commercial practice of adulterating and substituting the genuine herbal drugs are posing great hurdle in popularizing the time-tested herbal-based traditional medicine. To achieve ;<='s proclamation of ><ealth for all by +%%% ?> traditional medical systems have to be strengthened and popularized within the shortest possible time. !tandardization of herbal medicine has the key to achieve this aim.

Pharmacognosy Tool for Standardisation:

The term pharmacognosy is derived from two @reek words 'Aharmacon' meaning drug or medicine and 'gnosis' knowledge. B. . !eydler 3rst coined this term in his dissertation entitled 'Analecta pharmacognosia' in */.(. Aharmacognosy is closely allied to medicine, developed during early nineteenth century as a branch of 5ateria 5edica and applied biology. It is a study of drugs having their origin in plant and animal kingdom. The sub)ect pharmacognosy can also be e4pressed as an applied science that deals with biological, biochemical, therapeutic and economic features of natural drugs and their constituents. Tyler et al. ,*./*1 de3ned that in a broad sense, pharmacognosy embraces knowledge of the history, distribution, cultivation, collection, selection, preparation, commerce, identi3cation, evaluation, preservation and use of drugs and economic substances that a6ects the health of men and other animals.

In the earlier days, only the e4ternal morphological characters were used to identify a drug. mainly on the botanical side, being particularly concerned with the description and identi3cation of drugs both in their whole state and in powder form. 5odem aspects of their derivatives. Cike other biological sciences, pharmacognosy has utilized related 3elds to bridge the pharmacognosy include not only the crude drugs but also their natural constituents and s late as the beginning of the present century, pharmacognosy had developed

transition from a descriptive science to a functional science. 7arious pharmacognostical methods are evolved to standardize crude drugs. Therapeutic eDcacy of medicinal plants depends upon the 2uality and 2uantity of chemical constituents. It has been established ,Tyler et al., *./*1. plant species grown in di6erent geographical localities also show that chemical constituents of a plant species vary ;ith regard to climate and seasons 2uantitative variation in their chemical constituents ,5allavarapu et al., *..(1. 7ariation in biological compounds e4ists not only in species level but also in variety and cultivars levels too. 5any varieties within a species might show variations in histological and medicinal plants. These variations might be climatic, altitudinal, geographical or genetical in nature. 5any varieties of medicinal plant species are found in nature. Though eDcacious have been undertaken, little work has been done on comparative analysis of of medicinal plants. nd to ful3ll this gap, the present work is undertaken with a view to pharmacognostical studies on individual medicinal plants, their constituents and their the variations in morphological, phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of varieties analyze, similarities and dissimilarities in morphological, anatomical, microscopical,

phytochemical aspects. These di6erences e4ist among varieties of commonly occurred

physicochemical and phytochemical characters of the following varieties of plants. These plants are commonly available and medicinally useful in this geographical area and this e6ectiveness of these varieties. 1) Cissus quadrangularis a) Cissus quadrangularis C. ,!2uare-stemmed variety1 b) C. quadrangularis C. ,Eound-stemmed variety1 c) C. quadrangularis C. ,Flat-stemmed variety1 ) Madhuca longifolia study would form a foundation for understanding the pharmacological and therapeutical

a) !adhuca longi"olia ,0oen.1 5acbr. var. longi"olia. b) !. longi"olia var. lati"olia ,Eo4b.1 .Bheval

#) Basella alba

a) Basella al$a %. var. al$a ;ight. $) B. al$a %. var. ru$ra. ,C.1 -.C.!tewart.