none 10.31254/phyto.2024.13305 BioMed Research Publishers BioMed Research Publishers 16195 161288769 316921 20240601225506529 10.31254 2024-06-02T02:55:13Z 2024-06-02T02:55:12Z 0 The Journal of Phytopharmacology J Phytopharmacol 2320480X 10.31254/phyto https://www.phytopharmajournal.com/ 06 01 2024 13 3 Usha Devi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8243-0044 Shoeb Ahmed Ansari https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3154-8091 Asma Sattar Khan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9825-3617 Anees Ahmad https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3774-0101 Mohammed Wasim Ahmed https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4892-9347 Rampratap Meena https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4131-8069 Seed of Areca catechu commonly known as ‘Areca nut’ or ‘Betel nut’ belongs to Arecaceae family. It is native to Malaysia and cultivated in subtropical region of South China and India for their economically important seed crop. Areca nut is reddish to light yellowish brown, hard, ovoid, ellipsoidal or globose, internally are mottled with ruminated brownish endosperm tissue alternating with white tissue. In the Indian traditional medicine system Areca nut has been considered one of the important single drug which is therapeutically useful in a number of formulations of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani preparation. The presence of bioactive phytochemicals in medicinal plants is mainly responsible for various pharmacological properties. It has been widely accepted that medicinal plants are safe and effective treatments for various diseases and ailments. Several pharmacological activities such as antimycotic, antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities are attributed to it. In classical literature of Unani system of medicine, Areca nut is commonly called ‘Fufal’ and considered astringent, diuretic, emmenogogue, nervine tonic. Local application is useful in acute inflammation, trachoma, sialorrhea, gingivitis and as a tonic for heart. In the current scenario, standardizing herbal materials at a rapid pace has become a major challenge due to the growing demand for herbal medicines. Although herbal drugs are generally effective, and their effectiveness can be impacted by adulteration and lack of standardization. The present study is focused on authentication of the Areca nut by developing different pharmacognostic standards such as macroscopy, microscopy, physicochemical analysis and HPTLC fingerprinting. The majority of the market sample are either contaminated by cancer-causing fungi or adulterated with harmful chemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals that known to cause several health problems on human beings. So, the drug was also evaluated for several quality parameters, like heavy metals, microbial load, aflatoxins, and pesticides. The current study data can serve as reference standards for verifying Areca nut's purity, safety, and effectiveness. 06 01 2024 220 229 1 10.31254/biomed-crossmark-policy www.biomedresearch.org false 10.31254/phyto.2024.13305 https://www.phytopharmajournal.com/assets/pdf_files/Vol13_Issue2_05.pdf