SCREENING OF PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS IN SOLVENT EXTRACTS OF ACORUS CALAMUS

Abstract

Plants have the ability to synthesize mixtures of structurally diverse bio-active compound, with multiple and mutually potential therapeutic effects. Acorus calamus a medicinal harp is known to be rich in β asarone in its composition. The rhizome of this plant appears to have traditional usage for the treatment of
insomnia, melancholia, remittent fever, delirium, neurosis, cough etc. The solvent extracts of the drug yielding plants were subjected for preliminary phyto-chemical screening, before evaluation of their biological activity.The curative properties of medicinal plants are perhaps due to the presence of various secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, saponins, sterols etc. The successive extracts of root of Acorus calamus revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, alkaloids, proteins and phenols. The preliminary screening tests may be useful in the detection of the bioactive principles and subsequently may lead to the drug discovery and development.