ABSTRACT:
Chromatography is the term used to describe a separation technique in which a mobile phase carrying a mixture is caused to move in contact with a selectively absorbent stationary phase. Cress (Lepidium sativum), sometimes referred to as garden cress to distinguish it from similar plants also referred to as cress (from old Germanic cresso which means sharp, spicy), is a rather fast-growing, edible herb. Seeds of lepidium was studied for anti-arthritic activity. At lower dose level moderate anti-arthritic activity was observed in FA rats. Higher dose level produced inconsistent effect. Hence a thorough validation of the herbal drugs has emerged as a new branch of science emphasizing and prioritizing the standardization of the natural drugs and products because several of the phytochemicals have complementary and overlapping mechanism of action. In recent years GC-MS studies have been increasingly applied for the analysis of medicinal plants as this technique has proved to be a valuable method for the analysis of non-polar components and volatile essential oil, fatty acids, lipids and alkaloids.