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Abstract
Duranta repens belonging to family Verbenaceae commonly known as pigeon berry and locally called 'Kata mehedi' and native of West Indies, northern parts of Pakistan and central and south America. Various extracts of petroleum, chloroform, ethanol and aqueous, was prepared from the leaves based on the polarity of the solvents using cold maceration method. Phytochemical screening of these extracts revealed the presence of terpenoids and flavonoids in chloroform extract in the sample. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed the presence of various functional groups such as -OH, - COOH, -CH2, and C=O from the IR absorption bands in the high wave region at 3456 cm"1 and 2939 cm"1 and the active compounds were identified by comparing the retrieved compounds with the standard chart. The number of protons present and the electronic state of the protons in the various compounds was analysed using H1 NMR (Nuclear magnetic resonance). Further studies are to be done for the isolation of the active compounds that can be used to determine its therapeutic implications for the development of new drugs.
Keywords: Duranta repens, Phytochemical, terpenioids, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, functional groups, Nuclear magnetic resonance.
Introduction
Primary health care system uses traditional medicine as the most affordable and easily assessable source of treatment. There is a paradigm shift towards use of herbal remedies or herbal based formulations. The role of medicinal plants in disease prevention and treatment has always been remarkable [1]. The ethno botany provides a rich resource for natural drug research and development [2]. In many developing countries, a large proportion of the population relies on traditional practitioners and their armamentarium of medicinal plants in order to meet health care needs. Although modern medicine may exist side-byside with such traditional practice, herbal medicines have often maintained their popularity for historical and cultural reasons [3-4].
Duranta repens commonly known as pigeon berry and locally called 'Kata mehedi' belongs to the family Verbenaceae and native of West Indies, northern parts of Pakistan and central and south America. The genus Duranta comprises about 35 species which are evergreen shrubs distributed in tropical and subtropical region. It was introduced to Egypt as an ornamental plant in the 1920's. An infusion of leaf and juice of the fruit are diuretic and flower...