Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF TALINUM TRIANGULARE (JACQ).WILLD

*Smitha Parayangattil Subramanian and Jismy Johnson

ABSTRACT

Leafy vegetables are an important source of phytochemicals. Leafy vegetables carries an important role in human diet because of the rich source of nutrients, minerals (such as calcium, magnesium etc.) and proteins present in it. However, there are lots of such leafy vegetables which remain unexplored. The plant Talinum triangulare (Jacq).Willd commonly called as ‘water leaf’ is often considered as a weed or an ornamental plant despite its multitude of medicinal properties. Hence the present study entitled the “Phytochemical screening of Talinum triangulare (Jacq).Willd” was carried out for exploring the bioactive molecules present in the leaves through qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis. Different solvents such as water, acetone, and petroleum ether were used to prepare the extracts of leaves. These extracts were then used for assessing the qualitative and quantitative parameters using standard chemical tests. The quantitative estimation of total phenols was carried using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and catechol as standard. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of a wide range of phytochemicals which are pharmaceutically significant such as alkaloids, amino acids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, and tannins. Furthermore, the quantitative analysis of phenols confirmed that, T. triangulare leaves are potential sources of phenols. Water extract of T. triangulare showed the maximum concentration of phenol (25.4 mg/equivalent of catechol). Thus the present study has shed light on exploring the medicinal properties and pharmaceutical significance of this underutilized leafy vegetable.

Keywords: Talinum triangulare, phytoconstituents, phenol, leafy vegetable, Catechol. Article Received on 02 Dec. 2019, Revised on 23 Dec. 2019, Accepted on 12 Jan. 2020, DOI: 10.20959/wjpps20202-15419 *Corresponding Author Smitha Parayangattil Subramanian Assistant