Pharmacognostic study and preliminary Phyto-Chemical investigation of roots of Oryza Sativa Linn.

Sali (Oryza sativa Linn.) is a genus of perennial grass belonging to family Poaceae (grass family) that originated in India, southern China and Thailand, was domesticated and diversified in ancient times, and is now cultivated in wet tropical, semi-tropical, and warm temperate areas around the world for the production of its cereal grain. It serves as a primary source of calories for over half the world's population and also been important as a model system in plant biology, and is the first plant species for which the genome has been fully mapped. Sali roots used in the preparation of several Ayurvedic formulations such as Brahma Rasayana and Stanyajanana Curna.. The current study was carried out to provide a detailed account of the pharmacognostical evaluation of Sali (Oryza sativa Linn.) roots. The study includes macro and microscopic studies, powder microscopic study, High Performance Thin layer Chromatography fingerprint profiles (HPTLC) preliminary phytochemical screening and physicochemical parameters. Established parameters can be used as standards for quality control and identification of the plants in compound formulations and also preparation of a monograph of the plant.