Sustainable use and effect of solvents on phytochemical extraction of five vulnerable economically important plants from narayanpur, bastar, Chhattisgarh

Ethno-botany and ethno-medicinal investigations are now recognized as most efficient techniques for keeping informed or refocusing the data on medicinal plants reported in prior research for the possible extraction of useful bio-active compounds. Ethno-botanical research is requisite for exploring the traditional uses of plants for medicinal purposes. Several studies over the past decade have shown promising applications of phytochemicals in drug discovery and treatment. Increasingly we are observing a growing trend of applications of phytochemicals in medical science which is leading to the exponential uncontrol use of medicinal plants with economic importance. The study aims to investigate the presence of phytochemical and bioactive compounds in five medicinal plants by Soxhlet extraction method. Because of the economic and ethnomedicinal importance the selected plants are facing the status of vulnerable in Chhattisgarh state. These studies also emphases on bringing awareness among the folk for their sustainable use. For extraction solvents with different polarities viz., aqueous, acetone, chloroform and petroleum ether are used. Results of qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, phenols, reducing sugar, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, flavonoids, fixed oil and fats, anthraquinones as the major bioactive compounds in all five selected plants. While cardiac glycoside was found to be absent. Maximum number ofbioactive phytochemicals were extracted in the aqueous and acetone leaf extracts of D. gangeticum (L.) DC., C. paniculatus Willd., D. indica Linn., and S. urens Roxb.. While in D. hispida Dennst. maximum phytochemicals were observed to be present in the acetone and chloroform tuber extracts. This may be due to different solvents have been reported to have the capacity to extract different phytoconstituents depending on their solubility or polarity in the solvent. As, medicinal plants possess curative properties due to the presence of various bioactive chemical substances of different composition. Results of this study can serve as a preliminary source of knowledge for further isolation, characterization and identification of the bioactive compounds. Selected medicinal plants can also serve as a source of raw material for pharmaceutical industries as a natural source of drug designing. Dose dependent clinical trials are recommended. These plants can serve as a natural source of new drug with cheaper cost and very less side effects. Also, further research on the potential of diversity, ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology and bioactivity of plants used by local tribes is recommended to be documented for restoration of traditional knowledge of Vaid as and to bring awareness among the folk for their sustainable use and protection is being recommended.