Chromatographic Study on Traditional Natural Preservatives Used for Palm Leaf Manuscripts in India

Extracts from plants have been used traditionally for the preservation of palm leaf manuscripts in India. Although these methods are slowly being replaced by modern chemicals, art conservators still prefer herbal plant extracts as fungicides and insecticides. In this study, several traditional herbal extracts from the state of Odisha were studied using GC-MS and their long-term impact on palm leaf manuscripts was substantiated by visual observation. GC-MS results showed the presence of different herbal plant extracts from walnut fruit, Artemisia oil, cinnamon oil, equisetum stem, circium roots, Rhizophora leaf, tobacco leaf, and beggar-tick plant oil in palm leaf manuscripts. Illustrated manuscripts were also studied using FTIR spectroscopy which showed the presence of starch paste and pectin as binding media mixed in the pigments and writing inks for palm leaf manuscripts.