Abstract

Seed germination of Laghu panchamula, a group of five root drugs used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine, was studied through nursery and petri dish techniques. Desmodium gangeticum, Pseudarthria viscida, Solanum melongena var. insanum, Solanum violaceum and Tribulus terrestris, which constitute the group of Laghu panchamula, showed germination percentages ranging from 61.3 to 87.6 under nursery conditions without presoaking with water and 61.3 to 88.7 under nursery conditions with presoaking with water for 16 hours whereas in petri dish with absorbent cotton the germination percentage was only 20.3 to 41.7. The study showed that Laghu panchamula group of medicinal plants can be effectively propagated by seeds under nursery conditions and presoaking with water did not improve germination percentage considerably. Early germination was also observed in the nursery methods.

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