Ficus bengalensis (Moraceae, Mulberry family) is commonly known as a Banyan tree or Vata or Vada tree in ayurveda. There are more than 800 species and 2000 varieties of Ficus species, most of which are native to the old world tropics. Ficus bengalensis is a remarkable tree from India that sends down its branches and great number of shoots, which take root and become new trunks. This tree is considered to be sacred in many places in India. Earlier, glucoside, 20-tetratriaconthene-2-one,6-heptatriacontene-10-one,pentatriacontan-5-one, beta sitosterol-alpha-D-glucose, and meso-inositol have been isolated from the bark of the Ficus bengalensis. [1,2] The fruit extracts exhibited antitumor activity in the potato disc bioassay. [3] The leaves contain 9.63% crude protein, 26.84% crude fibres, 2.53% CaO, and 0.4% Phosphorous. It yields latex containing Caoytchoue (2.4%), Resin, Albumin, Cerin, sugar, and Malic acid. It is used in ayurveda for the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, and piles [4,5] and as a hypoglycemic. [6,7] The extracts of Ficus bengalensis were also reported to inhibit insulinase activity from the liver and kidney. [8] It was also found to inhibit ABSTRACT Pharmacognostical parameters for the leaves of Ficus bengalensis were studied with the aim of drawing the pharmacopoeial standards for this species: macroscopical and microscopical characters, physio-chemical constants, extractive values with different solvents, ß uorescence analysis of dry powder, its reaction after treatment with chemical reagents under visible light, and UV light at 254 nm and 366 nm. Preliminary phytochemical studies on the Ficus bengalensis leaves were conducted. The determination of these characters will aid future investigators in their pharmacological analyses of this species. The anti-inß ammatory effect of ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of fi cus bengalensis were evaluated in experimental animals. We have determined the anti-inß ammatory activity of ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of the bark of Ficus bengalensis by oral administration of doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg/day of body weight to healthy animals. The extracts were studied for their anti-inß ammatory activity in carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in rats and the paw volume was measured plethysmometrically at 0 3h after injection. The ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of Ficus bengalensis, signiÞ cantly reduced (P<0.05) carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. The ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts showed a greater anti-inß ammatory effect compared with the standard drug Indomethacin. The present results indicated the ethanolic extract of Ficus bengalensis exhibited more signiÞ cant activity than petroleum ether in the treatment of inß ammation..