Pharmacognostic and Preliminary Phytochemical Standardization of Talanguli (Male inflorescence of Borassus flabellifer Linn.)

Introduction: Borassus flabellifer Linn. (Palmyrah palm) belongs to the Arecaceae family and is identified as Tala in Ayurveda classics. The male inflorescence called Talanguli in Sanskrit and panaviral in Malayalam is traditionally used to treat liver disorders, ascites, and rheumatic arthritis Aim: The present study reports the pharmacognostic and phytochemical standardization of male inflorescence of Borassus flabellifer Linn. Materials and methods: The male inflorescence of Borassus flabellifer Linn. was subjected to pharmacognostic, physico-phytochemical, and HPTLC analysis as per standard procedure. Results: The external surface of the male inflorescence Borassus flabellifer Linn is rough due to scales and is yellowish green when fresh. The transverse surface of the staminate spadix has a central axis surrounded by 10-12 spikelets. The microscopic analysis revealed numerous vascular bundles that are conjoint collateral. Sclereids, starch grains, needle-like crystals, pollen grains, fragments of vessels, and fibers were observed in the powder microscopy. The alcoholic-soluble extractives are more than the water-soluble extractives. The total sugar was 8.57%. High-performance thin-layer chromatography exhibited 10 and 8 peaks at 254 and 366 nm respectively. Conclusion: Alkaloids, steroids, saponin, flavonoids, tannins, and phenols are present in the male inflorescence of Borassus flabellifer Linn. The pharmacognostic, physicochemical, and HPTLC fingerprinting of the male inflorescence of Borassus flabellifer Linn. serves as a reference standard for the authentication.