Abstract
Medicinal plants play significant role in human health. Besides this all of the Unani, Herbal, Kobiraji, and Homeopath medicine are produced from medicinal plant. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the phytochemical constituents as total phenolics content, free radical scavenging capacity, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll (a+b) and carotenoids. Leaves of seven important non-solanaceous medicinal plants namely Boerhavia diffusa (punarnava), Adhatoda vasica (basok), Paederia foetida (gandhabhaduli), Rauwolfia serpentina (sarpogandha), Catharanthus roseus (pink nayantara), Catharanthus alba (white nayantara) and Andrographis paniculata (kalomegh) were extracted for phenolics, chlorophyll a and b as well as carotenoids in this experiment. Total phenolics content in seven medicinal plants in this experiment ranged from 142.44 (C. roseus) to 416.25 (A. vasica) mg GAE/100 g leaf fresh weight. The IC50 value for scavenging 2, 2- diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals ranged from 32.12 (C. roseus) to 38.40 (Boerhavia diffusa) mg mL-1 leaf extract in seven different medicinal plants. Pigments content such as chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, chlorophyll (a+b) and carotenoids were found highest in Adhatoda vasica leaf as 2.347, 0.900, 3.283, and 0.521 mg g-1 fresh weight, respectively, among all the seven species. We may get highly valuable medicine from Adhatoda vasica (basok) leaf for its superior biochemical constituents, which will help our next generation to treat chronic diseases.
 Asian Australas. J. Food Saf. Secur. 2018, 2(2), 86-92
Highlights
The plants used for healing several diseases are called medicinal plant
The highest amount of total soluble phenolics was recorded in Justicia adhatoda leaf (416.25 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g FW) followed by Boerhavia diffusa (264.25 mg GAE/100 g FW) and Rauvolfia serpentina (245.21 mg GAE/100 g FW)
The lowest amount of phenolics was shared by Paederia foetida (165.81 mg GAE/100 g FW), Catharanthus alba (166.25 mg GAE/100 g FW) and Catharanthus roseus leaves (142.44 mg GAE/100 g FW)
Summary
The plants used for healing several diseases are called medicinal plant. They have different variety and diversity. Most of them have been used for Ayurvedic, Unani and folk medicine since the prehistoric time They have been used all over the world for thousands of years as natural medicines possessing therapeutic and other pharmacological effect (Skrovankova et al, 2012). Catharanthus roseus (pink) and Catharanthus alba (white), both are from Apocynaceae that have immense medicinal value in addition of being ornamental. They are used as a traditional folk remedy to cure diabetes and malaria and has been reported to contain anti-cancerous phyto-constituents (Sain and Sharma, 2013). From Rubiaceae has long been used as tonic, diuretic, and good for liver and stomach troubles and lumbago It is regarded as a specific for treating rheumatic affections, in which it is administered both internally
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