Phytochemical information of ethnomedicinally important plant (Mesua ferrea) seed shell

Abstract

The objective of the present work is to identify the phytochemical constituents of a plant material of ethnomedicinal importance, namely the seed shell of Mesua ferrea. The seed shell of Mesua ferrea was extracted with different solvents, namely hexane, chloroform and methanol, in Soxhlet apparatus. Subsequently, the phytochemical constituents, including carbohydrates, tannins, phytosterols, terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinone glycosides, and alkaloids, were identified using established procedures for all three extracts.

Numerous phytochemical constituents were detected in the plant materials in almost all extracts. The presence of significant constituents, namely alkaloids, was found in the hexane and chloroform extracts, while the phytosterols and anthraquinone glycosides were also present. The terpenoids, flavonoids, and carbohydrates were also found in the hexane and methanol extracts, and the tannins were detected in the methanol extract. Finally, the component saponins was not detected in any of the three extracts. The study shows that all extracts have significant phytochemical profile of the novel plant material (seed shell) of the Mesua ferrea plant. The plant material indicates that it contains most phytochemical ingredients to cure various diseases such as therapeutic activities, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antibacterial activities, etc.