Thuja orientalis (Linn.) Franco belongs to family Cupressaceae. It is commonly known as Tree of life and Orientale Arbor-Vitae in English. The leaves have been used as antibacterial, antipyretic, antitussive, astringent, emmenagogue, emollient, expectorant, febrifuge, haemostatic, refrigerant, stomachic, diuretic and used in alopecia. The present study was carried out to establish the pharmacognostical study along with preliminary phytochemical screening of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol and aqueous extracts of Thuja orientalis (L.) Franco. The macroscopical and microscopical characters of leaves were studied. The transverse section of leaves indicated the arrangement of various cells in epidermis, hypodermis, palisade cells, spongy parenchyma and vascular bundles. Preliminary phytochemical screening of various extracts revealed the presence of glycosides, flavonoids, sterols, phenolic compounds, carbohydrates and amino acids. The physico-chemical parameters such as total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash and sulphated ash value, loss on drying, extractive values, fluorescence analysis of extracts and powder treated with different chemical reagents were studied under ordinary light, short and long UV light. The foaming and swelling index of leaves were also studied. These studies will be helpful in developing standards for quality, purity and sample identification of this plant.
