The present study pertains to detailed pharmacognostical and phytochemical investigation of four herbal drugs namely: ‘Funduq’ Corylus colurna (Betulaceae), the officinal part of the drug is fruit used in Unani system of medicine as a brain and intestinal tonic, aphrodisiac and expectorant; ‘Kurchi’ Holarrhena antidysenterica (Apocynaceae), the stem bark is used as a principal remedy in cases of various types of diarrhoea and dysentery and this drug is generally adulterated or substituted with the bark of Wrightia tomentosa and W. tinctoria; ‘Khulanjan’ Alpinia galanga (Zingiberaceae), the rhizome is commonly used for many respiratory ailments in the indigenous system of medicine and this drug is usually substituted with A. officinarum and ‘Aatrilal’ Ammi majus (Apiaceae) the fruit is an officinal part used in powdered form in the indigenous systems of medicine for the treatment of leucoderma with promising results and the fruit of this drug is mostly substituted with its allied species A. visnaga .

Macro- and microscopical characters, behaviour of powdered drug on treatment with different chemical reagents, fluorescence analysis, extractive values, ash values and preliminary phytochemical tests were carried out to study the distinctive features of the drugs. Such parameters provide basis for standardisation/characterisation of genuine drug.

Detailed chemical analysis of fruit of ‘Funduq’ resulted in the isolation of four chemical compounds, namely colurnasterol glycoside, b-sitosterol glycoside, campesteryl glycoside and corylusterol glycoside. Two compounds: (i) 20-b-hydroxycampesterol-3b-D-glycopyranoside (colurnasterol glycoside) and (ii) chloest-5-en b, 12, b-triol-b-D-glyopyranoside (corylusterol glycoside) have been reported for the first time from a natural or synthetic source. From the bark of ‘Kurchi’ four compounds were isolated which are holardysenterine A (1), holardysenterine B (2), holardysenterine C (3) and holarkolavene (1). These compounds have close resemblance to conessine, principal alkaloid, but differ in their orientation of C21 –methyl groups. Of these four compounds, one compound holardysenterine B (2) has been reported as new epimer of conessine and established as 3 b-dimethylamino-19b-21a-methylcon-5-ene. Rhizome concentrate of ‘Khulanjan’ on steam distillation yielded 11 volatile constituents. 10 constituents were completely identified. Of the eleven constituents, citronellyl acetate. n-tridecane, geranyl acetate, eincosanol, n-docasane, n-docosan-8-ol have been reported for the first time in the oil. Steam distillation of ‘Aatrilal’ fruit concentrate revealed the presence of 53 compounds, of which 43 compounds have been identified after the analysis of the isolate, comprising 86.8% of total volatilates including 5 partially characterised compounds (ca 4.8%). The most abundant classes of the compounds are 14 monoterpenes (37.3%) and 19 sesquiterpenes (20.2%). Piperitone (10.0%) has earlier been reported from Pakistan sample of A. majus but could not be detected in our sample.

A serious limitation encountered in the use and research of traditional medicine is the lack of standardisation and quality control of raw material forming the drug. The ultimate objective of the pharmcognostic investigation is identification of the genuine crude drug and determining the extent of adulteration/substitution, if any. Advancement in recent years in pharmacognosy, phytochemistry and physicochemical instrumentation techniques can be of immense value in removing this major shortcoming of traditional medicine. These techniques can be utilised for correct botanical identification of plants. The details of organoleptic, macro- and microscopic characters, various evaluative parameters, fluorescence analysis, results of preliminary and detailed phytochemical analysis established in the present study will facilitate in identifying the genuine drug from any substitute or spurious samples and will also be useful in preparation of monographs on these plants.