Original Articles: 2015 Vol: 7 Issue: 4
Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of Artemisia indica Willd
Abstract
Plants have been used for food and also for medicinal purposes since antiquity. Medicinal plants are Nature’s gift to help pursue a disease-free healthy life, and thus can play an important role in preserving health. In India, Artemisia indica Willd. (Asteraceae) vernacularly known as ‘‘Titepati’’ is a perennial herb found in the western Himalayas and is one of the most utilized locally as a traditional medicinal plants, especially in the Kumaun hills, though, surprisingly, is also one of the lesser studied one, with meager information available on its phytochemical analysis. The powdered aerial parts were extracted with methanol (AME), ethanol (AEE) and hydro-methanol (AHME).The AHME gave the highest yield (20.29%), followed by AME (13.27%) and AEE (7.08%).Out of the total of 11 phytocomponents targeted, carbohydrates, reducing sugars, flavonoids, sterols, tri-terpenoids, phenolics and glycosides were detected in all three extracts. Saponins and tannins were absent in AEE, while AME and AHME contained both these phytoconstituent groups. Amino acids and alkaloids were present only in the methanolic extract. The AME (255.5±6.71)exhibited the highest total phenolic contents followed by AEE (139.4±7.49) and AHME (22.7±2.7) as Gallic acid equivalent. Flavonoid content exhibited similar pattern as in the case of total phenolic, i.e. an increased magnitude in total flavonoids in the order of AME (161.2±4.95) ˃ AEE (71.9±3.53) ˃ AHME (11.15±0.80) as Quercetin equivalents.