Monitoring of seasonal variation in latex of Calotropis procera Ait. and Calotropis gigantea L.R.Br using FTIR Spectroscopy

Background: Calotropis procera Ait and Calotropis gigantea L.R.Br of Family Asclepiadaceae are xerophytic plants which are found abundantly in arid zones of India. Their latex has been attributed with many pharmaceutical and therapeutic values and is being included either as a single drug or as an ingredient of many compound Ayurvedic formulations. Classical texts of Ayurveda recommend a specific collection protocol for crude drug collection depending on the parts used and rutu (season). Collection of latex has been advocated in Sharada (autumn) rutu (season). Objective: The objective of the present study was to assess the influence of six seasons, according to Ayurveda, on the organic profile of latex of C procera and C gigantea by using FTIR. Material and Methods: The crude latex of both species of Calotropis were collected in clean glass vials regularly in all the six rutu i.e Vasanta (March-April),Grishma (May-June), Varsha(July- August), Sharada (September- October), Hemanta (November- December) and Shishira (January- February) from a single plant and then packed in autoclaved appendorfs and sent for FTIR analysis. Observations and results: The differentiation in FTIR was remarkable in Grishma rutu and thus supports the theory that seasons do influence the organic profile of the latex.