PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND PHARMOLOGICAL STUDIES OF ALMOND GUM OBTAINED FROM PRUNES AMYGDALES VAR. DULCIS

Dr. Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir*, Sumera Mehfooz, G. Sofi and Mazhar Hussain

ABSTRACT

Objective and background: Gums are tree exudates usually formed following injury or by unfavorable conditions such as drought. Gums are considered as the pathological products or abnormal products of metabolism. Gums are natural plant hydrocolloids and are heterogeneous in composition. Prunes amygdales var dulcis (Sweet almond) is a medium sized tree with purplish-brown bark and its leaves are bright green, Lanceolate, serrate. Flowers are white in colour and tinged with red. The gum exudates from the injured wounds on almond trees. The injured bark secretes the gum and it gets dried up, which is later collected and used for various medicinal purposes. It is commonly used as emulsifier, thickener, adhesive and stabilizer. In Unani System of Medicine Almond Gum (AG) is a drug of choice for chronic cough, Tuberculosis, Nephrolithiasis and haemoptysis. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical studies were carried out on extracted samples. The extracts were subjected to various qualitative phytochemical tests such as alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, tannins, phytosterols, fixed oils, flavonoids, proteins, amino acids and presence or absence of gum was done by Ruthenium red test. Pharmacological studies of Almond Gum have also been thoroughly analyzed. Results: In the current Study the preliminary phytochemical analysis of aqueous extract of AG has been done which showed presence of carbohydrates and The Ash of Almond Gum showed the presence of sulphates, iron, and chloride. Conclusion: The present study has provided evidence based scientifically validated data for standardization of AG (Almond Gum) and will serve as a useful tool to minimize adulteration and substitution of AG.

Keywords: Almond Gum; Phytochemical analysis; scientific studies.