PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF THE PLANT LEUCAS ASPERA

Objective: Leucas aspera (Willd.) Linn. is a herbaceous annual distributed throughout India from the Himalayas down to Ceylon. This study was aimed to investigate the pharmacognostical, phytochemical characteristics, and heavy metal content of the aerial parts of L. aspera.
Methods: The aerial parts of the plant were subjected to macroscopical and microscopical characterization, followed by physicochemical evaluations using standardized procedures. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) of the dried plant powder was done to determine the metal and mineral content. Preliminary phytochemical screening and metabolite analysis of the hydroalcoholic extract of L. aspera (HAELA) were also performed to analyze the various hytoconstituents.