Phytochemical Screening of Certain Medicinal Plants of Mizoram, India and their Folklore Use

Abstract

The inhabitants of Mizoram (Mizos) use several plants for their healthcare and our main interest was to investigate the scientific basis of the medicinal use of these plants. Therefore, the root-stock of Alocasia indica, mature leaves of certain plants including Biden pillosa, Blumeopsis flava, Chromolaena odorata, Cissus discolor, Croton caudatus, Elaeagnus caudata, Leucaena leucocephala, Passiflora edulis and Spilanthes acmella, the latex of Carica papaya and rhizomes of Curcuma caesia were dried and powdered. The chloroform, ethanolic and aqueous extracts of each plant was prepared and subjected to phytochemical analysis and thin layer chromatography (TLC). The phytochemical analysis of the above plants showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and steroids. Most of these plants contained tannins with the notable exception of Croton caudatus. Similarly, the majority of plant species analyzed showed the presence of phlobatannins except Spilanthes acmella and Passiflora edulis. The cardiac glycosides were absent in Elaeagnus caudata and terpenoids in Leucaena leucocephala and Elaeagnus caudata. The presence of different phytochemical constituents was confirmed by TLC profiling by comparing the Rf values in various solvent systems. Our study indicates that despite the lack of real knowledge of chemistry, the traditional healers knew the medicinal importance of these plants. The medicinal properties of these plants may be due to the presence of various phytochemicals including flavonoids, alkaloids, saponin, steroids, tannins, phlobatannins, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides.