PHARMACOGNOSTIC EVALUATION OF KATPHALA (The bark of Myrica esculenta Buch - Ham).

Katphala or Kaiphala, botanically equated with plant Myrica esculenta Buch. - Ham., is an important bark drug of Indian systems of medicine. It is one of the plant species, which are under imminent danger of extinction from U. P. Himalayas. Since, no pharmacognostic study on this drug is on record, the present investigations has been undertaken. In this article, macroscopic and microscopic characters of the bark as such, including diagnostic characters of the drug in powder form have been presented.