Qualitative Determination of Phytochemical Ingredients In Selected Medicinal Plants.

Abstract

Medicinal plants are versatile sources of bioactive secondary metabolites having great therapeutic values. The aim of this study was to qualitatively determine the phytochemical composition in Curcuma longa, Prunus africana, Plectranthus cyaneus, Warburgia ugandensis, and Zanthoxylum chalybeum. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts were prepared and screened for alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, coumarins, flavonoids, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids, tannins and phenolics using standard phytochemical tests. Among the test species, turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizomes exhibited abundant phenolics and terpenoids, consistent with the presence of curcuminoids and essential oils that account for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (Gupta et al., 2013). Similarly, Prunus africana leaves yielded rich quantities of steroids, terpenoids, and

flavonoids, reflecting previous reports that its sterols and triterpenoids contribute to anti- inflammatory and prostate-protective effects (Komakech et al., 2017). In Plectranthus

cyaneus, the ethanolic extract confirmed the presence of terpenoids, which are chemotaxonomic markers of this genus and known for antimicrobial potential (Lukhoba et al., 2006). Warburgia ugandensis revealed strong signals of terpenoids, clearly alligning with its antimicrobial and antifungal properties to these unique metabolites (Kirira et al., 2006).On the other hand, Zanthoxylum chalybeum was distinguished by its richness in alkaloids and coumarins, especially in ethanolic extracts. These results validate the traditional use of these plants in herbal medicine and support the pharmacological relevance of ethanol as a superior extraction solvent.