Phytochemical Screening, Thin-Layer Chromatography and Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Ocimum gratissimum Leaves (Lamiceae)

Abstract

Ocimum gratissimum (family: Lamiceae) is an aromatic plant that is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of many disorders such as: headache, dysentery infections, diarrhea, skin diseases, mental, pneumonia and epilepsy. In my search of pharmacologically active compounds, I carried out phytochemical screening on three different extracts: hexane, dichloromethane and methanol respectively using standard procedure. There was found to contain alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, carbohydrates (in methanolic and DCM extract); steroids, glycosides and carbohydrates (in hexane extract) and protein in methanolic extract. The thin-layer chromatography (TLC) studies showed the presence of various phytochemicals in the extracts. All the extracts (methanol, DCM, hexane) of Ocimum gratissimum leaves possessed antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities using DPPH assay