This document describes the macroscopic and microscopic examination of the stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds of the Lobelia and Hyoscyamus plants. It discusses the physical characteristics, powder microscopy, and active chemical constituents of each herb. The uses, side effects, toxicity, and pharmaceutical preparations of Lobelia and Hyoscyamus are also summarized.

2. Examination of the Stem
• 1- Macroscopical characters:
- Condition:
- Shape
- Colour
- Nodes and internodes
- Phyllotaxis
- Surface
- Fracture
- Odour
- Taste

3. Medicinal Herbs
Lobelia
Hyoscyamus
Mentha
Thyme
Ergot Ephedra
Passiflora
Official Herbs Non-Official
Herbs
Cannabis
Vinca
Yeast
Fucus
Cetraria
Chondrus

4. Lobelia Herb ‫اللوبيليا‬ ‫عشب‬
Indian Tobacco ‫الهندى‬ ‫الدخان‬

5. Lobelia Herb ‫اللوبيليا‬ ‫عشب‬
Indian Tobacco ‫الهندى‬ ‫الدخان‬
• Origin:
- The dried aerial parts of
Lobelia inflata Linn. Family:
Campanulaceae, collected
towards the end of the
flowering stage.
- It is used by North American
Indians as domestic medicine
as a cigarette for asthma.

6. Macroscopical characters
- erect annual herb, 40-60 cm.
- Odour: slight irritant.
-Taste: at first slight but
subsequently burning and
acrid.

7. • The Stem:
- Monopodial branching.
- Angular to winged.
- Irregularly furrowed.
- Green to yellowish with
large purplish patches.
- Hairy on the upper parts
and nearly glabrous on the
lower.

8. • The Leaves:
- alternate.
- Pale green.
- Scattered stiff hairs along the margin and veins on
the outer surface.
- The lower leaves are oblong, shortly petiolate.
- The upper leaves are small, oval to lanceolate,
sessile, with irregularly crenate, dentate margin.

9. • The Flowers:
- shortly pedicillate.
- arranged in long racemes.
- pale blue about 7 mm long.
- Calyx: tubular with 5 long
linear teeth.
- Corolla: tubular, bilabiate.
- Stamens: with blue anthers,
united above, forming a
curved tube enclosing bifid
stigma each anther ends with
a tuft of hairs at the apex.
- Ovary: inferior, bilocular,
bicarpellary.

10. • The Fruit:
- Inflated capsule, dehiscing by
2 pores at the summit.
- Ovoid or ellipsoidal, 5-8 mm
long.
- Light brown.
- Crowned by the remains of
the calyx.
- Membranous pericarp
- Internally bilocular
- containing numerous seeds
arranged on axile placenta.

11. • The Seeds:
- minute
- oval oblong, 0.5-0.7 mm
long and about 0.3 mm
wide.
- reddish brown with fine
elongated polygonal
reticulations.

12. Microscopical
characters

13. Lobelia
Stem T.S.

14. • Physical characters:
• Color: green to dark green
• Odor: slight irritant
• Taste: at first slight but subsequently burning and
acrid.
Powder of Lobelia Herb

15. Powdered Lobelia
Long, non-glandular hair
(conical, unicellular with
lignified inner walls and
covered with warty cuticle)
Laticiferous
vessels
Fragments of Seed Coat

16. Woody fibres
Fragments of stem and leaves showing
beaded papillosed epidermal cells,
anomocytic stomata and hairs.
Xylem vessels

17. Fragments of brown seed coat
showing characteristic thick
walled lignified epidermal
cells

18. Active constituents
• 1- About (0.3- 0.4 %) piperidine alkaloids, the
important of these are Lobeline, Lobelanine
and Lobelanidine.
• 2- non-acrid but pungent volatile oil.
• 3- Neutral principle, inflatin.
• 4- Lobelic acid.
• 5- resin and waxes.

19. Uses
• 1- Lobelia has a nicotine like action, so its
used in breaking of smoking habit.

21. 3- as expectorant and in treatment
of cough.
4- An injection of Lobeline
hydrochloride is used in
resuscitation of new-born infants.
5- Large doses produce vomiting
and may cause collapse through
medullary paralysis.
2- In bronchitis & bronchial asthma as it has a
bronchodilator effect.

22. Side Effects and Toxicity:
-Extreme care should be taken with the use of Lobelia
inflata to control asthma and as a remedy in general.
- It has been known to be toxic even at relatively low
doses and in some countries this herb is scheduled.
-Toxic doses of lobelia will give rise to symptoms such as
nausea, vomiting, convulsions and can be fatal.

23. Pharmaceutical preparations

24. Hyoscyamus Herb ‫المصرى‬ ‫السكران‬
Egyptian Hyoscyamus Egyptian Henbane

25. Hyoscyamus Herb ‫المصرى‬ ‫السكران‬
Egyptian Hyoscyamus Egyptian Henbane
Botanical Origin:
The dried leaves and flowering
tops of Hyoscyamus muticus
Linn., Family: Solanaceae.
Geographical Source:
It is a perennial herb,
indigenous and cultivated in
Egypt. It grows wild in the
districts of Egypt.

26. -erect perennial herb.
-Condition: dry
- Odour: slightly foetid & narcotic.
-Taste: bitter acrid especially on
chewing.
Macroscopical characters

27. The Stem:
- cylindrical, slightly compressed
- succulent,
- greyish yellow,
- slightly hairy,
-hollow with hairy branches.

28. The Leaves:
- pale green to yellowish,
- petiolate or nearly sessile, hairy,
-vary in shape and size,
- lamina: oval, rhomboidal to broadly
elliptical, up to 15 cm long,
- apex: tapering to an equal base and
accuminate,
- margin: entire or with 2-5
triangular acute teeth on each side,
- both surfaces densely hairy,
- mid-rib: broad, prominent on the
lower surface,
-Venation: pinnate.

29. The Flower:
-Cymose infloresence,
- each shortly pedicillate,
- Usually have 5 petals, 5
sepals, 5 stamens, 2 carpels,
2 locules,
-hairy, leaf, bract,
-bract: ovate-lanceolate,
-calyx: very hairy, striated,
2-4 cm long & 2 cm wide at
the mouth, with 5 short,

30. -Corolla: dried yellowish,
sometimes with deep colored
patches, zygomorphic funnel
shaped.
-Stamens: 5-epipetalous,
unequal in length, with
purplish filaments and
brownish and sometimes
purplish anthers.
- Ovary: ovoid superior,
bicarpellary, bilocular, slightly
hairy containing numerous
campylotropous ovules
attached to axile placenta.

31. The Fruit:
- Pyxis enclosed in the calyx,
- Cylindrical,
- 1.5 cm long & 0.6 cm broad.

32. The Seed:
-yellowish-grey to brown in color,
- more or less reniform,
- laterally compressed,
- about 1mm. long with reticulate testa,
-Internally shows a curved embryo embedded in
an oily endosperm.

33. T.S of Hyoscyamus Leaf

35. • Physical characters:
• Color: light greenish yellow
• Odor: slightly foetid and narcotic
• Taste: bitter acrid
Powder of Hyoscyamus Herb

36. Twin and prism crystals of
Calcium oxalate
Powder of Hyoscyamus Herb
Glandular hairs
Non-Glandular hairs

37. Epidermal cells with
anisocytic stomata
Spherical pollen grains
with finely pitted exine
lignified seed coat

38. Microscopically:
1. Presence of anisocytic stomata.
2. Presence of uniseriate, 3 to 5 celled non-
glandular hairs.
3. Presence of glandular hairs with short or long
stalk & multicellular, club-shaped head (clavate
hair).
4. Presence of different types of Ca-Ox crystals.

39. Active Constituents:
• Tropane Alkaloids (0.7 – 1.5 %)
mainly Hyoscyamine
other alkaloids as Hyoscine, atropine and nor-
atropine.

40. General uses:
Externally: Local anaesthetic, relieve pain.
Internally:
- Reduce secretions e.g. sweat, saliva thus used
before surgery.
- Anti spasmodic in urinary tract colics & gripping
effect caused by the purgatives (corrective
antispasmodic).
- Sedative for spasmodic cough.

41. • Special chemical test:
• Vitali’s test (Morin color test)
• for tropane alkaloids (Solanaceous alkaloids)
• Alcoholic extract evaporation in porcelain
dish residue + 2 drops of fuming
HNO3, heat till dryness , cool + add 3 drops of
alcoholic KOH violet color.

42. Pharmaceutical preparations