Phytochemical Screening and Mineral Composition of the Leaves of Ocimum gratissimum (Scent Leaf)

Priscilla Alexander

doi:10.3126/ijasbt.v4i2.15101

Priscilla Alexander

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v4i2.15101

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Abstract

The leaves of Ocimum gratissimum having some ethno-medicinal applications were investigated. The phytochemicals screening of the leaves using Standard Methods and further analysis with HPLC revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, phlobatanins, terpenoids, steroids and cardiac glycosides. The elemental analysis was carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The result revealed the presence of Na (0.311±0.049), Ca (0.138 ±0.111), Mg (1.712 ± 0.537), K (0.261± 0.077), Mn (0.457±0.107, Pb (0.005 ± 0.002), Zn (0.200 ±0.06), Cu (0.803±0.818), N (0.286± 0.052), and Fe (0.312 ± 0.067). Cd and Cr were not detected in the samples. This investigation suggested that Ocimum gratissimum leaves are rich in phytochemical constituents which contributed to its medicinal uses. The leaves of Ocimum gratissimum can be said to contain some components of medical value since the chemical components elaborated by it are active principles (alkaloid, steroids and glycosides). Ocimum gratissimum also contain most of the essentials elements indicating its nutritive values and less toxic as Cd and Cr were not detected in the leaf.Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(2): 161-165

Highlights

Plants are richest resources of drugs in the traditional and modern systems of medicine, nutraceuticals, food supplements, pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical entities for synthetic drugs (Hammer et al, 1999)
Medicinal plants are of great importance to the health of individual and the communities
The result revealed that the plant leaf contains saponins, tannins and alkaloids which help to inhibits bacterial growth

Summary

Introduction

Plants are richest resources of drugs in the traditional and modern systems of medicine, nutraceuticals, food supplements, pharmaceutical intermediates and chemical entities for synthetic drugs (Hammer et al, 1999). The use of plants and plants products as medicines could be traced back to the beginning of human civilization. Medicinal plants are of great importance to the health of individual and the communities. The medicinal values of some plants lie in some chemical substances that produce definite physiological actions in the human body. The most important of these bioactive constituents are alkaloids, tannis, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Many of these indigenous medicinal plants are used as spices and food plants (Okwu, 1999 & 2001). An Ethno botanical and ubiquitous plant serves as rich resources of natural drugs for research and development (Kong et al, 2008)

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