The Journal of Phytopharmacology 2026; 15(1):56-62 DOI:10.31254/phyto.2026.15107
Physicochemical, phytochemical and pharmacognostic study of Phaleria macrocarpa
Jeenu Joseph1 , Santhosh M Mathews2
1. Professor, Department of Pharmacognosy, Pushpagiri College of Pharmacy, Thiruvalla – 689107, Kerala, India
2. Principal, Pushpagiri College of Pharmacy, Thiruvalla – 689107, Kerala, India
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 11th December, 2025 / Accepted: 23rd March, 2025 / Published : 30th March, 2026
Background: Phaleria macrocarpa (Thymelaeaceae family) commonly called as God’s crown, Buah mahkota dewa or Pau, is an evergreen tree geographically distributed around Indonesia. Traditionally the plant is exercised to treat diarrhea, cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, tumor problems and also to reduce pain. Despite the increasing interest in the medicinal values of the plant, no pharmacognostical study was conducted on this plant. Objective: The present study aims a thorough macroscopic, organoleptic, microscopic, physicochemical and phytochemical evaluation of the leaves and fruits of P. macrocarpa. Materials and Methods: The physicochemical analysis was performed as per WHO guidelines which include loss on drying, determination of ash values, swelling index, foaming index and extractive values. Various phytoconstituents are determined using preliminary phytochemical screening. Results: Morphological studies revealed organoleptic and surface characteristics of leaves and fruits. Histological study, powder microscopy, physicochemical parameters and leaf constants revealed valuable data that enables to set up standards for the plant. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, tannins, phenolics, mucilage, flavonoids. Microscopical study revealed the presence of unicellular and multicellular covering trichomes, rosette shaped calcium oxalate crystals, anomocytic stomata, straight walled epidermis, bicollateral vascular bundle and pitted xylem vessels. Conclusion: The present pharmacognostic study furnishes valuable referential information that enable the identification, authetication and standardization of P. macrocarpa. The study also facilitates the monograph preparation of P. macrocarpa, ensuring the safety and efficacy of the crude drug.
Mahkota Dewa, Microscopic Study, Pharmacognostic Study, Phytochemical Screening, Fluorescence Analysis, Physicochemical Analysis
HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE
Joseph J, Mathews SM. Physicochemical, phytochemical and pharmacognostic study of P. macrocarpa. J Phytopharmacol 2026; 15(1):56-62. doi: 10.31254/phyto.2026.15107
Creative Commons (CC) License-
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Copyright
Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0.