Phytochemical screening an antioxidant activity of seeds of Saussurea costus (Lalc.) Lipsch: an indigenous medicinal plant of Neelum Valley Azad Kashmir
Shabir Ijaz, Anjum perveen, Nausheen Ghaffar
Abstract
The purified ingredients of medicinal plants have advantageous curative potentials. These constituents may be different in different parts of the plants. Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch. is well known wild medicinal plant. The root of this plant has been used in indigenous medicine to cure various diseases particularly in Pakistan, China and India. The aim of this study was to analyze the seeds of Saussurea costus for physicochemical, phytochemical substances and antioxidant activity. Many phytochemicals (alkaloids, phenols, glycosides, terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, carbohydrates, saponins and protein) were screened out in water and chloroform extracts while acetone and methanol were not fittest solvents for extraction. Protein was present in a high amount of 10.9 mg/g whereas carbohydrate and phenolic compounds were detected in a low amount, due to the low amount of phenolic compounds seeds showed poor antioxidant activity. The phytochemicals screening may form the basis for drug development in the future.
Keywords: Saussurea costus, Pharmacognosy, Phytochemical, Antioxidant, Seed, Neelam valley