TRANSVERSE SECTION - EXPERIMENT

TRANSVERSE SECTION

Section cutting technique:

Section cutting is an art which every pharmacognosists must acquire

Thinner the sections, more clearly the tissues can be observed.

Selection of crude drug sample for section cutting:

Selection of appropriate size part and shape of a crude drug is very important in obtaining a good section.

In cas eof stem/root/stolon, select a portion of drug having a diameter of  of 3 to 5mm and length of 25cms.

A sample shorter in length will be difficult to hold and sample thicker in diameter may give  rise to thick and wedge shaped sections.

Preparation of sample for section:

·         Put a sample selected in a test tube or glass plate .

·         Add sufficient chloral-hydrate solution or water so that the sample remains submerged.

·         Boil the sample over bunsen flame for few minutes.

·         This  will soften the hard drug sample and will help in obtaining fine sections.

·         Hold the sample vertical between the first, second finger and the thumb and move the blade back and forth from one end to another, obtaining fine slices.

·         Take sufficient number of sections as all sections will not be very fine and uniform.

·         In case of flexible material such as leaf section can be taken by placing in between two flat surface of pith, a pith is usually a piece of potato in which a longtudinal slit of 2cm deep is made, in to which the material to be sectioned(leaf) is placed and the sections are taken as described above.

Mounting:

·         Transfer the section s to watch glass containing chloral- hydrate with the help of a brush.

·         Reject thick sections.

·         Boil gently  in presence of chloral-hydrate to remove the chlorophyll, pigments or other unwanted impurities, as it is very good clearing agent.

·         When bubbles start to apear stop heating.

·         For staining decand the chloral hydrate and transfer the sections in to another watch glass containing staining solution.

1.      Equal quantities of Phloroglucinol and conc. HCl is used to stain the lignin.- Pink colour

2.      Dil. iodine solution is used for starch  - Blue color

3.      Ruthenium red solution is used for Mucilage- Pink color

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·         Use in the preparations of tooth paste,tooth powder and mouth wash.

Useful in common cold, headache and fever.