Phytochemical Analysis of Chloroform Leaf Extract of Phyllanthus Niruri

Abstract

Phyllanthus niruri is a pan tropical weed and probably originates from western India. This plant belongs to Euphorbiaceae family. In India it is used as a herbal medicine and called as ‘Bhumyamlaki’. It is a large genus comprising about 750 species in tropical and subtropical regions. The leaves of Phyllanthus niruri are collected from different regions of Bangalore. The leaves are extracted in chloroform solvent and evaluated for phytoconstitutes present in them. For phytochemical analysis of plant extract thin layer chromatography and preliminary screening method of phytoconstitute by Sofowara, Trease and evans and Harbone was followed. The plant extract contains alkaloids like morphine and boldine. Extract also contains tannins, saponin, terpenoid and steroid. The present study provides evidence that solvent extract of Phyllanthus niruri contains medicinally important bioactive compounds and this justifies the use of plant species as traditional medicine for treatment of kidney stones