Qualitative and Quantitative Analytical Studies for the Screening of Phytochemicals from the Leaf Extracts of Senna alexandrina Mill

Abstract

The increasing resistance to the existing synthetic drugs is being substituted with the alternative herbal drugs as an importance source of new agents for treating various ailments. Senna alexandrina Mill. is a well known plant in Asian countries including India, which exhibits a wide range of pharmacological activities. It has been used in Indian folk medicine in the form of decoctions and infusions to treat bacterial infections and was also reported to be an effective against a variety of skin diseases. The current investigation was carried out to explore the phytochemical components of the selected plant by performing preliminary biochemical and quantitative analysis by employing UV-visible spectroscopy. The crude extracts were scanned in the UV wavelength ranging from 200-800nm by using Perkin Elmer Spectrophotometer and the results indicate that alkaloids, flavonoids carbohydrates, proteins and saponins are the more prevalent components in the methanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of Senna alexandrina leaf.