Abstract

Plants are an integral part of life in many indigenous communities. Besides, being the source of food, fodder, fuel, etc., the use of plants as herbal medicines in curing several ailments goes parallel with the human civilization. The present study was carried out to identify the bio-active compounds in various leaf extracts of Aloe vera, Ocimum tenuiflorum and Tinospora cordifolia using different phytochemical screening tests. Total phenolic content (TPC) was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent assay method and total flavonoid content (TFC) using aluminium chloride colorimetric method in the sample extracts. The phytochemical screening results revealed that all the extracts of A. vera, O. tenuiflorum and T. cordifolia are positive for alkaloids, but flavonoids and tannins are present only in some of the extracts. Positive results for saponins and terpenoids are obtained only for T. cordifolia extracts. TPC of A. vera was high in ethanolic extract (138.13 mg/g) compared to the other two solvents, whereas methanolic extract of O. tenuiflorum (114.34 mg/g) and aqueous extract (465.82 mg/g) of T. cordifolia exhibited maximum TPC comaparitively. TFC of A. vera was higher in methanol extract (88.59 mg/g) compared to the other two solvents, whereas methanol (96.34 mg/g) and ethanol (95.46 mg/g) extracts exhibited similar TFC for O. tenuiflorum compared to aqueous extract and for T. cordifolia ethanol extract (208.36 mg/g), exhibited maximum TFC comaparitively. The results of all the three sources were found to be highly significant. However, there is a need to exploit natural sources with medicinal value not only to be used in medical field but also for developing healthy clothing.  

Key words: Phytochemical, Aloe vera, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Tinospora cordifolia.