Abstract

Background: Nighantus represent the advanced evolution of Ayurvedic Materia Medica, expanding beyond Bruhatrayi with elaborate descriptions of dravya rasa–guna–veerya–vipaka–prabhava and morphological identifiers. Several drugs recorded in Dhanvantari, Raja, Kaiyadeva, Madanpala, and Bhavaprakasha Nighantu remain underutilized today despite historically documented therapeutic potency (1)(2). Scientific pharmacognostic profiling enables revitalization of such rare herbs through botanical authentication, quality assurance, and standardization. Aim & Objectives: 1. To critically compile and analyse pharmacognostic traits of lesser-used Nighantu herbs. 2. To perform a comparative pharmacognostic evaluation of Haritaki fruits collected from the Western Ghats, Himalayas, & Eastern India. 3. To correlate classical morphological descriptors with modern anatomical microscopy and powder analysis. Materials & Methods: An Ayurvedic review was conducted using Nighantu databases, Bruhatrayi, Nighantu commentaries, and modern pharmacognostic indexes. Microscopy of authenticated Haritaki samples included TS, maceration, powder microscopy under normal & polarized light, and histochemical staining using safranin–fast green dual mode (3)(4). Comparisons were made based on stone cell clusters, vessel structure, epidermal cuticle, tannin localization, and rosette crystals (5)(6). Key Review Findings: Parpat, Ajagandha, Surasa, Shyonaka, and Svadupami/Swaduparni demonstrate specific micro-characters such as prismatic crystals, glandular trichomes, unicellular hairs, parenchymal mucilage and porous pith that enable unambiguous authentication. Haritaki samples varied significantly: Western Ghats fruits contained abundant stone cells and tannin masses; Himalayan fruits showed thin pericarp and sparse trichomes; Eastern region fruits had dense sclereids and high rosette crystal population (7)(8)(9). These differences validate the Ayurvedic doctrine Desha-Bheda (regional variations) and influence potency, stability, and formulation value. Conclusion: Pharmacognostic standardization bridges ancient textual ethnobotany with modern scientific validation. Rare Nighantu herbs warrant reintegration into clinical practice after histological authentication. Haritaki demonstrates strong geoclimatic phytovariation, necessitating sourcespecific monograph development for future pharmacopeial inclusion.