<![CDATA[Mountain papaya (Vasconcellea pubescens A.DC.) is a highland species introduced to the Dieng Plateau in Central Java. It has strong cultural significance but limited scientific documentation on its medicinal use. No crude drugs from these plants have been included in the Indonesian Herbal Pharmacopeia. This study aimed to establish baseline pharmacognostic specifications for mountain papaya leaf crude drugs collected from three areas of the Dieng Plateau. The plant materials were collected from three locations in Dieng, and their identities were authenticated accordingly. The microscopical morphology, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) profile, ash values, water-extractable value, total flavonoid content (TFC), and total phenolic content (TPC) of the crude drugs were analyzed in accordance with the IHP standard methods. Botanical authentication confirmed the samples as Vasconcellea pubescens A.DC. Powder microscopy revealed characteristic fragments, including parenchyma cells, trichomes, mesophyll tissues, calcium oxalate crystals, and spiral vessels. TLC profiling demonstrated a consistent phytochemical fingerprint across samples, with 12 resolved spots, and caffeic acid was tentatively identified as a reference marker (Rf 0.63). Physicochemical evaluation showed high total ash (9.92-10.18%) and acid-insoluble ash (1.76-3.0%) values. Water extractable value (28.95-40.72%) varied across sample collection locations. Quantitative analysis showed a relatively high TPC (5.33±0.09%) compared with TFC (0.38±0.01%). Collectively, these findings provide the first pharmacognostic characteristics for mountain papaya leaf crude drugs from Dieng and offer reference data to support quality control and standardization.]]>
