Sarcouncil Journal of Applied Sciences Aims & Scope

Abstract: The phytochemicals present in plants act as potential source of useful drugs and They improve the health status of human beings. Phytochemicals analysis is the first step towards discovery of valuable drugs. Plants are the richest resources of drugs and useful for the various biological activity. In the present investigation the phytochemical screening of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. was one of the highly used medicinal plants. The phytochemical tests were carried out specially for screening secondary metabolites of this plants. In this study we have investigated different phytochemicals from this plant by using different solvents for extraction. The plant shows the phytochemicals like saponins, tannins, terpenoid alkaloids, flavonoids etc. The whole plant of Andrographis paniculata were collected and authenticated for its family and species. Its moisture and dry matter content ranged from 56.80 to 58.02 and 39.88 to 41.20 percent, receptively. The A. paniculata whole plant powder was prepared from dried A. paniculata whole plants. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts were prepared from A. paniculata whole plant powder. The yield of ethanolic extract (11.93±0.12 per cent) was significantly (P≤ 0.01) higher than the yield of aqueous extract (9.14±0.14 per cent). The ethanolic and aqueous extracts of A. paniculata whole plant powder were screened for 12 phytochemicals of which saponins, tannins, phlobatannins, hydrolysable tannins, phenols, alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids and glycosides were present in aqueous extract. Ethanolic extract also showed similar results with the exception of cardiac glycosides which were present and phlobatannins which were not detected.