Pharmacognostic Study of Callistemon viminalis (Sol. ex Gaertn.) Byrnes Bark

Abstract

Callistemon viminalis is an evergreen tree native to Australia having a wide history of traditional uses in various folklore medicinal practices. Traditionally it is used for the treatment of gastroenteritis, diarrhea, infections of urinary tract and skin. The present study includes micromarphological and physicochemical examinations on the bark of Callistemon viminalis (Sol. ex Gaertn.) Byrnes. The shade dried bark was studied as per the guidelines of the World Health Organization. The bark is flaky and hard and exhibits fibrous fracture. Transverse section shows the presence of rhytidoma with lignified sclerenchymatous tissue, lignified phloem fibers and uni to biseriate medullary rays. Moisture content was about 9% and total ash content was 6.5%. The preliminary phytochemical studies showed the presence of alkaloids, triterpenoids and flavonoids. The results of the present study are helpful in the identification and quality assessment of the crude drug

Keywords: Callistemon viminalis, folklore, micromarphological, physicochemical, phytochemical, quality assessment