PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND EVALUATION OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF COLEUS AMBOINICUS

Coleus amboinicus of the family Lamiaceae is a large succulent aromatic herb used for flavoring drinks and medicine. Ethanolic extract of fresh, shade dried and oven dried leaves were used for antibacterial analysis. The antibacterial activity was evaluated against twelve different bacterial strains by detecting minimum inhibitory concentration and zone of inhibition. Phytochemicals present in the leaf extracts were analyzed and these were separated by Thin Layer Chromatography and are identified using spray reagents. The presence of phenols, Terpenes, Flavanoids, Tannins and Steroids in fresh, shade dried and oven dried leaves were revealed.