Phytochemical analysis of the selected five plant extracts

Abstract

Herbal medicine is still the mainstay of about 75 - 80% of the whole population, and the major part of traditional therapy involves the use of plant extracts and their active constituents. Plants were collected, identified, dried then extracted using hexane, Dichloromethane/methanol and water. Identification assays to test the presence of various chemical constituents were carried out. The five plants were: Sonchus luxurians, Ocimum americanum, Bridelia micrantha, Croton megalocarpus and Aloe secundiflora. The Phytochemical screening of the compounds present in the plant extracts were; alkaloid, glycosides, Saponins, reducing sugar, Steroid, Flavones and Catecholics. The most common compound in all the plant extracts was Catecholics. Steroids are used in medicine to treat many diseases. The Plant extracts can be possible candidates for drug development.

Keywords: Herbal medicine, Phytochemical compounds, Traditional therapy, Plant extracts