QUALITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ESTIMATION OF TOTAL PHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS IN LEAF EXTRACT OF SARCOCHLAMYS PULCHERRIMA WEDD.

The medicinal properties of plants are due to some chemical substances that produce certain definite physiological action on the human body. These non-nutritive components are called phytochemicals. The qualitative analysis as well as quantification of phytochemicals of a medicinal plant is regarded as vital step in any kind of medicinal plant research. Sarcochlamys pulcherrimabelongs to family Urticaceae, leaves which has long been used by some tribal people of Assam as food and to treat several diseases. Young shoots, leaves and fruits are eaten as vegetable especially by the Mishing tribe with pork; based on the strong believe that it kills the tap worm s. Leaves are used for diarrhea and dysentery, as carminative and digestive and there is no scientific evidence for above said activities. The present study was carried out to test the presence of various phytochemicals in the leaf extract of the plant and also to estimate the total phenol and flavanoids in the leaf extract. Phytochemical analysis of the leaf extract of Sarcochlamys pulcherrima revealed the presence most of the biochemicals tested for such as carbohydrate, protein, alkaloid, tannin, flavanoid, Steroids, terpenoids, phenol, saponin and glycoside. The total phenolic content of the methanolic leaf extract is found to be 29.42 + 0.006 mg/g and the total flavonoid contents of the leaf extract is found to be 1.091 + 0.008 mg/g. The presence of various phytochemicals in the tested plant reveals that this plant may be a good source for production of new drugs for various ailments.