A comparison of the physico-chemical and phytochemical parameters of glands/hairs of fruits and leaves of Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) muell. arg. grown in Sri Lanka

Abstract

AbstractMedicinal oils prepared using glands/hairs of the fruits or leaves of Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Muell. Arg., are prescribed for dermal problems. Although the glands/hairs of the fruits are mentioned, they are not freely available in the market. It is therefore useful to explore the possibility of using the leaves, which are freely available instead of glands/hairs for the preparation of medicated oils. The present study compares the physico-chemical properties and the phytochemical components in glands/hairs of the fruits and the leaves of M. philippensis.The extractive matter of glands/hairs of the fruits was significantly higher than that of the cold and hot ethanol extractive matter of the leaves. In addition, the amount of extractable matter observed in cold water extracts of glands/ hairs of the fruits and the leaves was very much less than that was found in other extracts. Total ash (10.9%) and the acid insoluble ash (4.5%) contents of the leaves were significantly higher than that of the glands/ hairs of the fruit. In addition, several important chemical constituents were present in the glands/hairs of the fruits and leaves of M. philippensis. These findings revealed the similarities of the physico-chemical and phytochemical parameters between glands/hairs of fruits and leaves of M. philippensis.