Medicinal Plant Research & Herbal Drug Discovery
The Pharmacognosy Laboratory at Lakshmi Narain College of Pharmacy (LNCP), Indore is dedicated to the study of medicinal plants, phytochemistry, and herbal drug development. The lab provides facilities for plant identification, extraction, isolation, and characterization of bioactive natural products.
Located in the phytodiverse region of central India, our lab leverages the rich biodiversity for natural product research and offers training in herbal drug technology, pharmacognostic evaluation, and quality control of herbal medicines as per WHO and Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia standards.
Lab Sections
Pharmacognosy & Microscopy Lab
Research-grade microscopes, camera lucida, microtome, and image analysis software for plant anatomy, powder microscopy, and crude drug evaluation. Herbarium facility with 200+ authenticated plant specimens.
Phytochemistry Lab
Soxhlet extraction units, cold maceration, percolation, Clevenger apparatus for essential oil extraction, column chromatography, and TLC/HPTLC systems for isolation and fingerprinting of phytoconstituents.
Herbal Formulation Lab
Equipment for developing herbal dosage forms including tablets, capsules, ointments, syrups, and cosmetics from plant extracts, along with stability testing chambers for shelf-life evaluation.
Biotechnology & Cell Culture Lab
Plant tissue culture facility, laminar flow hood, CO2 incubator, and molecular biology equipment for in-vitro propagation, secondary metabolite production, and conservation of medicinal plants.
Major Equipment Specifications
| S.No. | Equipment | Specifications | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soxhlet Extraction Unit | 250ml-1000ml capacity, heating mantles | 6 |
| 2 | HPTLC System | Automatic TLC sampler, scanner, vision capture | 1 |
| 3 | Rotary Vacuum Evaporator | 5L capacity, dry ice condenser | 2 |
| 4 | Research Microscope with Camera | 1000X, trinocular, with image analysis | 3 |
| 5 | Clevenger Apparatus | Essential oil determination, 1-5kg capacity | 2 |
| 6 | UV-Vis Spectrophotometer | Double beam, with phytochemical analysis software | 1 |
| 7 | Lyophilizer (Freeze Dryer) | 6kg/24hr capacity, -50°C condenser | 1 |
| 8 | Stability Chamber | 25°C/60% RH, 40°C/75% RH | 1 |
| 9 | Plant Tissue Culture Hood | UV sterilized, HEPA filtered, ISO Class 5 | 2 |
| 10 | Herbarium Cabinet | Temperature controlled, 500 specimen capacity | 2 |
Databases & Digital Resources
- Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
- Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API) Standards
- WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
- NAPALERT Natural Products Database
Medicinal Plant Garden
- 200+ medicinal plant species in cultivation
- Taxonomically labeled beds (Ashtavarga, Dashamoola)
- Polyhouse for rare and endangered medicinal species
- Seed bank and germplasm conservation facility