Comparative Organoleptic and

macroscopic examination
 Organoleptic examination
- being, affecting, or relating to qualities
(such as taste, color, odor, and feel) of a
substance such as a food or drug that
stimulate the sense organs

 macroscopic examination
- observable by the naked eye like size, shape,
fracture etc
 Macroscopic Studies
The Macroscopic studies helps for the
- identification,
- standardization,
- recognition of different parameters of drugs and
- adulterants present.
The use of sensory organs also utilized for
assessment like locate morphological characters
- smell the characteristic odors,
- assess the typical taste and
- to examine indifferent touch.
 Root

• The underground organ includes rhizomes,

roots, corms, bulbs, tubers, etc.
The samples are observed in
- entire longitudinal,
- oblique of transverse slices and
- also in small cubical pieces or
- broken into pieces.
Shape
The shapes of sample are classified into patterns
of presentation like
- straight,
- branching,
- tortuous,
- cylindrical,
- conical etc.
The other shapes are like Cylindrical, Conical,
Subeylindrical, Tortuous, Tapering, Fusiform,
Upper conical and Lower cylindrical.
Tap - Root - modification
 Modification of Fibrous Root
A - Tuberous roots of Ipomoea batatas, B - Fasciculated roots of Dahlia sp.,
C - Pair of tuberous roots of Orchis sp., D - Nodulose root of Curcuma amada.
E-Palmate tuberous root of an ochid., F - Moniliform root of Cyperus sp.
G - Annulated root of Cephaelis ipecacuanha.-
Size
- The size of the sample is described in length
and diameter.
- The conical sample is measured into both
wide and narrow diameters.
Color
- The color of underground organs vary from
white to yellow, yellowish, grayish yellow,
brown, reddish, orange to brownish black.

- Aswagandha chitrak
 The external markings
- of underground organs includes the presence
of furrows, wrinkles, annulations, fissures,
nodules, crack, ridges, transverse markings of
various types, scale leaves, scars, lenticels etc.
• The fracture study of the underground organs
can gives more information about its identity.
• First of all it may be breakable or unbreakable
with normal stress.
• The fracture may be microfined into short,
uneven or horn-shaped.
• The odor of the underground organs may be
either characteristic or indistinct.
• The odor further devided into aromatic, balsamic,
spicy, alliaceous (garlic like), camphoraceous
(camphor like), terebinthinate (turpentine like).
• Ayurvedic classification of tastes (Madhura, Amla,
Lavana, Katu, Tikta, Kashaya) the modern
categorization of tastes also contribute for
standardization of a drug.
• They are termed as sour, saline, sweet, bitter,
astringent, pungent, mucilaginous, bland, acrid
etc.
 Ashwagandha

Outer – Buff white in young roots, dark brown in old roots.

Colour
Inner – Buff white
Colour (Powder) Yellowish white
Odour Characteristic, strong pungent
Taste Bitter, astringent
Touch Rough
 Thickness Widely varying, 1-4 cm in diameter
Length Whole root approx. upto 60 cm
Smooth in young roots, uneven in
Surface
older roots
Detachment of cork In older roots present
Secondary roots Thin or thick
Fracture Fibrous fracture
Yastimadhu

Shape Nearly cylindrical

Surface Rough
Texture Taproot with numerous runners
Colour Ext.-Dark Brown
Int.-Golden yellow
Taste Sweet
Odour Faint
• Root pieces are cylindrical,14 to 20 cm in length
and 5 to 20 cm in diameter,
• surface rough, longitudinally wrinkled, at places
shows scars left by removal of the lateral roots,
• fracture outer fibrous and inner splintery,
externally dark brown, internally golden yellow,
transversely cut surface exhibits wide central
xylem, cambium ring, outer narrow phloem,
and wide radiating medullary rays.
 Shatavari

Shape Tuberous
Surface Rough
Colour Creamish white
Taste Sweetish Bitter
Odour Pleasant
Fracture Easily breck
• It has a short stout rootstock bearing numerous
considerably long fusiform succulent tuberous roots.
• creamish white and their surfaces were found rough
which showed wrinkles longitudinally after the roots
were dried.
• When the roots were transversely cut, they showed a
yellow peripheral strip, a silvery-white fleshy soft
middle region that formed the bulk part of the root
and a slightly hard narrow central woody core.
• 30-80 cm long
 Chitraka

• The root is very hard and strong, long and slender in shape up to
• 10.2 inch in length and 0.2 to 0.4cm in diameter,
• thick at the apex, narrow and pointed towards the base.
• Externally light brown color with black hue and 7 to 10 dichotomously
branched.
• The odor of the root is irritant and the taste is pungent
• The transversely cut surface of young fresh root is whitish throughout but
that of a mature root has a light red color at the periphery. A small quantity
of light yellow juice exudes from the fresh cut surface of the root.
• The root has a thin skin. The cortex or middle portion is whitish and the
wood in the centre is narrow and darker. Dried roots are darker or nearly
black.
 Manjistha

Physical state Solid

shape cylindrical
Colour Red brown roots
Odour Characteristic
Surface characters Surface longitudinally furrowed scars present in
few
Texture and Brittle, hard and splintery roots hard to break.
fracture External bark gets peeled off easily
Inner surface Bright purple furrowed
Taste Bitter and astringent
 Musta

• rhizomes are bluntly conical with number of wiry and tough slender
roots, often attached to one another by a thin and tough connective.
• Each rhizome is tumicate, varies in size and thickness, crowned with
remains of stem and leaves forming a hairy to scaly covering.
• The length of the rhizome is 1.5 to 3cms and diameter is 0.8 to 1.6 cms.
• Its stolons are elongated and about 1.5 to 3.5cms long.
• Externally the rhizome is dark brown or black in color and internally
creamish yellow; odor- fragrant, taste- slightly pungent
• Fracture tough, mealy, shows dots of stelar vascular bundles and a
distinct endodermal margin
• Coarse and fine powders are coffee brown in color, slightly pungent in
taste, odor fragrant
 Vatsanabha

• Dried tuberous root is conical, cylindrical or fusiform, straight

or slightly bent,
• about 2 to 6 cm long and 0.4 to 1.0 cm broad,
• surface rough, uneven, longitudinally wrinkled, marked with
few whitish scars of rootlets,
• a depression seen at the broad end is the scar left by the
removal of the aerial stem.
• Fracture short, fractured surface buff in colour, externally pale
brown
• Odour nil;