Macro-microscopic atlas on heartwood of Pterocarpus santalinus L.f. (red sandalwood)

Pterocarpus santalinus L.f. (Fam. Leguminosae) is a medium sized, deciduous tree distributed in South India mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The heartwood is highly prized and medicinally useful. The heartwood is used in Indian system of medicine for leucorrhoea, piles, syphilis, vomiting, fever, thirst, purifying blood and in wound healing. Pterocarpus santalinus is one of the ingredients in many Siddha and Ayurvedic formulations namely Cintil Ney, Senchandana Manapagu, Candana Bala, Laksadi Taila and Candanadi lauha.

The present study brings out macro-microscopic atlas on heartwood of medicinal plant Pterocarpus santalinus L.f.

Sections and powder were observed and photographed under different magnifications with the help of Olympus BX51 Microscopic unit fitted with Olympus Camera.

Macroscopically colour, odour and taste; microscopically tyloses, needle eye end fibres, forked fibres with pegged and sharp end, pitted and border pitted vessels, uni-seriate medullary rays, Reddish brownish content, oil globules, simple starch grains, crystal fibres and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate are the unique diagnostic characters reported.

The finding of the present study is believed to be helpful in identifying the genuineness of the heartwood in crude raw drug and also in standardization of herbal formulation containing red sandalwood as ingredient.