PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING POTENTIAL OF SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS IN FOLK MEDICINE
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity of hydroethanolic extract of dried leaves of five medicinally important herbs Cleome aspera, Ctenolepis garcinii, Aslepias curassavica L. Urena lobata and Sida cordifolia.Qualitative analysis of phytochemical constituents’ viz. tannins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and cardiac glycosides and quantitative analysis of total phenolics and flavonoids were performed. Antioxidant activity was studied through DPPH, hydroxyl, nitric oxide and reducing power assay by varying plant concentrations (200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 µg/ml). The phytochemical screening revealed that the fine extracts contain tannins, saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids. Quantitative analysis had revealed that Ctenolepis garcinii possessed maximum phenolic and flavonoid content. The free radical scavenging ability of the plant extracts also proved that Ctenolepis garcinii was found to have the highest activity. The results suggest that Ctenolepis garcinii has promising antioxidant activity and could serve as a potential source of natural antioxidants