Pharmacognostic study of digitalis and arjuna crude drugs.

1. CARDIOTONICS
Ms. Kirti G. Sahu
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacognosy
Alard College of Pharmacy, Pune

2. Purpose statement
 At the end of the class the students will be able to, understand cardiotonic
drugs and describe pharmacognostic study of digitalis and arjuna crude
drugs.

3. Cardiotonics
 Greek Kardia-Heart
 Drugs which give strength or energy to activity of heart
 Increase the force of contraction of cardiac muscles and stimulate overall
activities of heart
Examples
 Digitalis
 Arjuna
 Squill
 Thevetia
 Stropanthus

4. Digitalis
Synonym
 Foxglove leaves
 Digitalis leaves
Biological Source
 From dried leaves of Digitalis purpurea
Family-Scrophulariaceae
 Contain not less than 0.3% of total cardenolides calculated as digitoxin
 After collection leaves are dried immidiately at a temperature not exceeding
60 ֯C and are stored in moisture proof container.

5. Digitalis purpurea

6. Habitat:
• biennial herb
• grown in England
• cultivated in India, Europe and USA.
Macroscopy:
 Colour : Dark greyish green
 Odour : Odourless
 Taste : Distinctly bitter
 Size : length – 10 to 30 cm Width – 4 to 10
cm
 Shape : Ovate, lanceolate, petiolate
 Base : dentate
 Apex : Subacute
 Margin : dentate
 Surface: Both surfaces are pubescent (covered with short soft hairs)

7. Digitalis leaves

8. Chemical tests
Raymond’s test:
 drug + few ml of 50% ethanol +0.1 ml of 1 % solution of m- dinitrobenzene in
ethanol
 this solution+2-3 drops of 20% sodium hydroxide solution Violet colours .
Legal test:
 Drug + few ml of pyridine + 2drops of nitroprusside +a drop of 20% sodium
hydroxide solution gives A deep red colour

9. Chemical tests
Killer killiani test:
 Drug dissolved in a mixture of 1 % ferric sulphate solution in (5%)
glacial acetic acid. Add one or two drop of concentrated sulphuric acid.
A blue colour develops due to the presence of deoxy sugar.
Baljet test:
 Take a piece of lamina or thick section of the leaf and add sodium picrate
reagent. If glycoside is present yellow to orange colour will be seen.

10. Chemical constituents:
• 0.2 to 0.45% mixture of both primary and secondary cardiac glycoside
• Purpurea glycosides A and B
• Digitoxin
• Gitoxin
Uses:
• Cardiotonic - in congestive heart failure
 Used in various forms like tablets or capsules in the treatment of congestive
cardiac failure, atrial flutter, tachycardia.
 Diuretic in cardiac edema.

11. Adulterants
Mullein leaves:
 Obtained from Verbasum thapsus
Family- Scrophulariaceae
Comfrey leaves:
Symphytum officinale
Family- Boraginaceae
 Detected by preesnce of multicellular trichomes
Primerose leaves :
 Primula vulgaris, family Primulaceae.
 detected microscopically by the presence of uniseriate covering trichome.

12. Allied drugs:
Digitalis Lanata (White foxglove):
Biological source : Digitalis lanata
 part used: Dried leaves
 Family: scrophulariaceae

13. Arjuna
Synonym
 Arjun bark
 Arjun
Biological source
 Dried stem bark of plant Terminalia arjuna
Family- Combretaceae
Geographical source
 Grow in dense forests

14. Arjuna bark

15. Macroscopical Characters
 Colour- Greyish brown
 Odour- None
 Taste- Astringent
 Shape- Flats
Chemical constituents
 Contain 15% tannins
 Contain triterpenoid saponins, Arjunolic acid, arjunic acid, ellagic acid

16. Chemical test
 Ether extract show pinkish fluorescence under UV light
Uses
 Cardiotonic
 Antidysenteric
 Diuretic
 Hypotensive
Adulterants
Terminalia tomentosa

17. Summary
 Cardiotonic drugs mean
 Pharmacognostic study of Digitalis leaves
 Pharmacognostic study of Arjuna bark

18. References
 Gokhale S.B., Kokate C. K., Purohit A.P., Textbook of Pharmacognosy,
Nirali Prakashan, 55th edition
 Ashutosh Kar, Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology, 2nd edition

19. Questions
 Name the family to which the following crude drugs belong to:
a) digitalis b) arjuna
 Define with examples cardiotonic.
 Write morphology of Digitalis leaves
 Write chemical constituent of a) digitalis b) arjuna.
 Write biological source and two uses of a) digitalis b) arjuna