European Journal of Medicinal Plants

Handroanthus chrysotrichus Leaves: A Renewable and Sustainable Source of Ursolic and Oleanolic Acids

2026-10-28T08:26:42+00:00

Background: Information on the phytochemical composition and cytotoxicity of Handroanthus chrysotrichus leaves remains limited, although other plant parts and related species have been investigated.

Aims: Handroanthus chrysotrichus is a tree species belonging to the Bignoniaceae family. This family and genus have been investigated for their bioactive compounds, although less is known about the phytochemical profile and biological activities of its species, particularly its leaves.

Study Design: The leaves were collected in Petrolina-PE; subsequently, crude hexanolic extract (CHE) and crude methanol extract (CME) were prepared through exhaustive maceration. The CME was partitioned by vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) yielding the following fractions: hexane (HEX), chloroform (CHCl₃), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH).

Place and Duration of Study: Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas de Plantas Medicinais (NEPLAME), Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, between March 2024 and September 2024.

Methodology: Extracts and fractions were characterised in terms of their triterpene content and chemical composition by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) ¹H and ¹³C, and cytotoxicity profiles.

Results: High triterpene contents were recorded in CHE, CHCl₃ and EtOAc with the latter exhibiting the highest content of 8.36 ± 0.89 mgEqUA.g^-1. The CHE GC-MS analysis enabled the identification of 13 compounds, with E-squalene as the predominant compound. The NMR experiments revealed that ursolic and oleanolic acids were the main constituents of the EtOAc fraction. Further isolation of compound 1 from EtOAc enabled its identification as ursolic acid, reported for the first time in the leaves of H. chrysotrichus. Regarding cytotoxicity, only EtOAc exhibited moderate activity against human glioblastoma cells (SBN-19), with an inhibition of 51.75 ± 6.78 %.

Conclusion: The leaves of Handroanthus chrysotrichus were identified as a potential renewable source of ursolic and oleanolic acids, which are compounds with pharmacological activities.

Gastroprotective and Ulcer-Healing Activities of Protea madiensis Oliv. (Proteaceae) Stem Bark Methanol Extract and Its Solvent Fractions in Wistar Albino Rats

2026-10-29T11:58:30+00:00

Background: Protea madiensis stem bark is used traditionally for gastric ailments, but experimental evidence of its gastroprotective and ulcer-healing effects is limited.

Aims: To evaluate the acute oral toxicity, phytochemical profile and antiulcer activity of the methanol stem bark extract of Protea madiensis and its solvent fractions, and explore the mechanism of the most active fraction.

Study Design: A controlled experimental study in rodents.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria, between July 2024 and June 2025.

Methodology: The methanol extract (ME) was fractionated by vacuum liquid chromatography into n-hexane (HF), ethyl acetate (EF) and methanol (MF) fractions. Phytochemicals were screened qualitatively and quantitatively, and acute oral toxicity was assessed in mice by Lorke’s method. Antiulcer activity was tested in Wistar albino rats (n = 5 per group) in ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric lesion models and the acetic acid-induced chronic ulcer model (ME 100–400 mg/kg; fractions 100 and 400 mg/kg, orally), with omeprazole (20 mg/kg) as the reference treatment. MF (200 and 400 mg/kg) was further evaluated for its effects on gastric prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and pH in indomethacin-treated rats and on gastric secretion volume in pylorus-ligated rats. Data (mean ± SEM) were analysed by one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s test.

Results: Phenolics were the most abundant constituent class in ME. No deaths or signs of toxicity occurred at oral doses up to 5000 mg/kg. All test materials significantly reduced lesion severity compared with vehicle (n = 5 per group; P < .05). MF at 400 mg/kg gave the greatest inhibition in the indomethacin (92.2%) and acetic acid (97.5%) models and 93.7% inhibition against ethanol, values comparable in magnitude with those of omeprazole (76.0–95.2%); ME at 400 mg/kg gave 97.0% inhibition against ethanol. MF increased gastric PGE₂ from 352 to 781–811 pg/mL and gastric pH to 5.7–6.6 (P < .001), and reduced gastric secretion volume in pylorus-ligated rats by 81.0–88.8% (P < .001).

Conclusion: P. madiensis stem bark has low acute oral toxicity (single oral doses up to 5000 mg/kg) and dose-related gastroprotective and ulcer-healing activity in rats, which supports its folk use for peptic ulcer; these preliminary findings do not establish long-term safety or clinical efficacy. The methanol fraction is the most active, and its effect is associated with preservation of gastric PGE₂ and reduced gastric secretion, and its flavonoids, tannins, saponins and phenolics are candidate active constituents.

In vitro Therapeutic Profiling of Leaf Extracts of Calycopteris floribunda Lam.

2026-10-30T12:25:09+00:00

Aim: This study aimed to perform a comparative in vitro evaluation of the phytochemical composition and therapeutic activities of leaves of C. floribunda using five solvents: petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, ethanol and water (aqueous extract).

Place and Duration of Study: Calycopteris floribunda Lam., a member of the Combretaceae family, is valued in ethnomedicine for treating ailments such as diarrhoea, jaundice, wounds, and infections. Samples were collected during the month of June from the campus of Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka, India.

Methodology: This study aimed to perform a comparative in vitro evaluation of the phytochemical composition and therapeutic activities of leaves of C. floribunda using five solvents: petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, ethanol and water (aqueous extract). All extracts underwent comprehensive qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening, FTIR spectroscopy, and GC-MS profiling. Additionally, they were evaluated for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, and anticancer potential using standardised in vitro assays.

Results: Phytochemical analysis revealed common bioactive constituents such as carbohydrates, glycosides, proteins, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, saponins, mucilage, and organic acids. Quantitative data confirmed variable but notable concentrations of glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, and alkaloids across all extracts, including the aqueous one. FTIR spectroscopy identified consistent functional groups—hydroxyl (–OH), carboxyl (–COOH), carbon–carbon (C–C, C=C), and aldehyde (–CHO) suggestive of pharmacologically relevant moieties. GC-MS profiling across all extracts identified a collective array of over 90 chromatographic compound entries, with prominent constituents such as lupeol, oleic acid, neophytadiene, n-hexadecanoic acid, epilupeol, squalene, and styrene, varying by solvent polarity. The aqueous extract, though less chemically diverse than organic solvents, still exhibited significant antioxidant and antimicrobial activity.

Conclusion: All extracts demonstrated measurable in vitro bioactivities at the concentrations examined, highlighting the solvent-dependent selectivity in phytochemical recovery and corresponding efficacy. This comprehensive profiling supports further investigation of C. floribunda and supports its continued exploration as a source of multifunctional phytomedicines.

Phytochemical Characterization, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Medicinal Plants for Polyherbal Gel Development

2026-11-06T10:35:42+00:00

Four authenticated medicinal plant materials—stems of Tridax procumbens, Andrographis paniculata and Tinospora cordifolia, and bark of Aegle marmelos—were compared using hydroalcoholic extraction (ethanol–water, 70:30, v/v). Extraction yield, qualitative phytochemical reactions, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity were evaluated. Two extracts were subsequently examined by high-performance TLC (HPTLC) and agar-well diffusion against four bacterial species. Extraction yields ranged from 14.91% to 20.13%. Tinospora cordifolia gave the highest TPC (89.77 ± 1.72 mg gallic acid equivalents/g), TFC (89.43 ± 1.59 mg quercetin equivalents/g) and DPPH inhibition at 100 µg/mL (90.35 ± 1.75%); its reported DPPH IC₅₀ was 46.18 ± 1.04 µg/mL. Tridax procumbens ranked second for these measurements. HPTLC analysis at 254 nm identified three recorded peaks for T. procumbens and six for T. cordifolia, whereas ten were recorded for each extract at 366 nm. In agar-well diffusion testing, T. cordifolia produced larger recorded inhibition zones than T. procumbens for Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A separate F3 gel dataset showed recorded zone diameters of 14.20–17.40 mm. The findings offer a strong basis for selecting formulations for further development, optimisation, and validation in future studies.

Comparative Phytochemical Screening and Solvent-dependent Extraction of Hispidulin from Clerodendrum Serratum Leaves

2026-11-10T14:16:54+00:00

Background: Medicinal plants are important sources of bioactive phytoconstituents with potential therapeutic applications. Clerodendrum serratum (Bharangi) is traditionally used in Ayurveda and contains several pharmacologically important secondary metabolites. Comparative evaluation of solvent-dependent extraction and marker-based quantification is essential for its phytochemical standardisation.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the preliminary phytochemical composition of Clerodendrum serratum leaf extracts prepared using different solvents and to compare their hispidulin content through chromatographic techniques. Methodology: Dried leaves of Clerodendrum serratum were extracted using chloroform, ethanol, methanol and aqueous solvents. Preliminary phytochemical screening was performed to identify major secondary metabolites. FTIR and HPTLC were employed for functional group characterisation and chromatographic identification of hispidulin, respectively. Quantitative estimation was performed using reverse-phase HPLC with a C18 column, employing acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water (45:55, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Detection was carried out at 340 nm.

Results: Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, saponins, and phenolic compounds. HPTLC analysis showed chromatographic peaks corresponding to the hispidulin reference standard at an Rf value of approximately 0.61. HPLC analysis demonstrated a characteristic peak at a retention time of 7.88 ± 0.05 min. The estimated hispidulin content was highest in the methanolic extract (96.12 mg/g), followed by the ethanolic (54.74 mg/g), chloroform (35.22 mg/g), and aqueous extracts (14.67 mg/g).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that solvent selection influences the recovery of hispidulin from Clerodendrum serratum leaves, with methanol yielding the highest estimated marker content among the investigated extracts. These findings provide an analytical basis for further phytochemical characterisation and standardisation. Comprehensive validation of the quantitative HPLC method is necessary to establish the accuracy, precision and reproducibility of the reported estimates.

Phytochemical Variability According to Plant Fractions, Organs and Extraction Methods: A Comparative Study of Annickia polycarpa and Alchornea cordifolia

2026-11-11T08:16:13+00:00

Background and Aims: Plant processing, the selected plant organ and the extraction method can influence the qualitative phytochemical profile obtained from medicinal plant material. This study compared fine powder and fibrous residue obtained from Annickia polycarpa, as well as the profiles of leaves, stems and roots of Alchornea cordifolia after different extraction procedures.

Methods: A mass-balance assessment was conducted for A. polycarpa. Qualitative tube tests were used to screen major secondary-metabolite groups in 20 g portions of the plant fractions and in 20 g portions of A. cordifolia organ powders. Aqueous maceration, infusion, decoction and hydroalcoholic extraction were compared for A. polycarpa; aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts were compared across A. cordifolia organs. Maceration lasted 12 h and decoction lasted 30 min, as specified in this study.

Results: From 1,277 g of A. polycarpa material, 556 g of fine powder (43.54%) and 721 g of fibrous residue (56.46%) were obtained. Qualitative reactions for alkaloids were positive in all reported A. polycarpa preparations and were strongest (+++) in hydroalcoholic extracts. Other reactions varied with fraction and preparation method. In A. cordifolia, the profiles also varied among leaves, stems and roots and between aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts.

Conclusion: The fibrous residue constituted more than half of the processed A. polycarpa material and showed positive reactions for some phytochemical groups, supporting further characterisation rather than automatic disposal. The findings are qualitative and do not establish compound concentrations, therapeutic equivalence, efficacy or safety. Quantitative chemical analyses and biological and toxicological testing are needed.

Effect of Plant Material Treatment on the Phytochemical Profile in Extracts of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill)

2026-10-31T11:25:13+00:00

Background: The phytochemical composition of fennel leaf preparations may vary with the condition of the plant material, the extraction solvent and the duration of contact during preparation.

Aim: This study assessed the qualitative profiles of selected metabolites in extracts of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. leaves subjected to different treatments.

Methods: Fennel leaves were examined fresh, after oven drying, after refrigerated storage for seven days, or after freezing for seven days. Aqueous infusions were prepared with contact times of 5 and 20 minutes. Fresh leaves were also macerated in ethyl acetate for 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes. Extracts underwent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to identify the metabolites detected under each condition.

Results: Maceration of fresh leaves in ethyl acetate yielded detectable L-fenchone and anethole at all four contact times. Aqueous infusions produced profiles containing up to four compounds: D-limonene, L-fenchone, estragole, and anethole. All four were detected in infusions of fresh and frozen leaves at both contact times. Infusions of dried leaves contained D-limonene and anethole, whereas those of refrigerated leaves contained only anethole. Extending infusion contact from 5 to 20 minutes did not change the qualitative profile within any of the four plant-material conditions.

Conclusion: Within the conditions tested, the initial treatment of fennel leaves was associated with greater differences in the detected phytochemical profiles than infusion contact time. These findings describe qualitative differences and do not establish changes in metabolite concentrations or biological effects.

Bhanga Beeja (Cannabis sativa L.): An Integrative Narrative Review of Ayurvedic Knowledge, Modern Scientific Evidence, and Future Research Perspectives

2026-10-23T11:29:56+00:00

Bhanga beeja (hemp seed; Cannabis sativa L.) is described in Ayurvedic literature as a nutritional and medicinal ingredient and is used in selected classical formulations. Contemporary research has focused increasingly on hemp seed and hemp seed oil because mature seeds are nutrient-dense and intrinsically contain negligible amounts of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC); low cannabinoid concentrations detected in commercial seed products are generally attributable to surface contamination during harvesting and processing. This narrative review integrates classical Ayurvedic descriptions with contemporary evidence on nutritional composition, phytochemistry, preclinical pharmacology, clinical studies, safety, and Indian regulation. Classical sources describe attributes including Deepana, Pachana, Balya, Vajeekarana, and Dhatu Poshana and report their use in selected gastrointestinal and other formulations. Modern evidence supports the nutritional value of hemp seed and identifies bioactive lipids, proteins, phenylpropionamides, phenolics, and other constituents. Seed- or seed-oil-specific studies report preclinical neuroinflammatory and platelet effects and limited clinical findings relating to blood pressure, fatty-acid profiles, musculoskeletal outcomes, skin parameters, constipation formulations, and other conditions. However, the evidence base is heterogeneous and frequently involves multi-ingredient products, small studies, or preparations that are not directly equivalent to classical Bhanga beeja. Accordingly, contemporary findings should be regarded as supportive or hypothesis-generating rather than direct validation of Ayurvedic therapeutic indications. Standardised, authenticated seed preparations and well-designed clinical studies are required to clarify efficacy, dose-response relationships, long-term safety, and the correspondence between classical indications and measurable biomedical outcomes.

A Comprehensive Review of Ayurvedic Pharmacodynamic, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile of Asanadi Kwatha: A Polyherbal Formulation

2026-10-26T13:43:21+00:00

Background: Polyherbal decoctions (Kwatha) occupy a central place in classical Ayurvedic therapeutics, combining multiple drugs to achieve a composite pharmacodynamic effect. Asanadi Kwatha is a classical twenty-four-drug polyherbal formulation indicated principally in Prameha (a broad classical category overlapping with, but not synonymous with, diabetes mellitus), along with disorders of Rakta (blood tissue) and skin.

Aims: The aim was to critically review the Ayurvedic pharmacodynamic (Rasa–Guna–Virya–Vipaka–Doshaghnata) profile, phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Asanadi Kwatha's constituents and to evaluate the strength and gaps of evidence at both constituent and formulation levels.

Methodology: A narrative, critically appraised review was conducted using classical Dravyaguna literature and peer-reviewed databases (PubMed, Scopus-indexed journals, Web of Science where accessible, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect); searches used accepted botanical names with phytochemical and pharmacological terms.

Results: The constituents collectively show a broad pharmacological profile, with evidence supporting antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective and antimicrobial activities, most strongly for Arjuna (cardioprotective), Gymnema sylvestre and Acacia catechu (antidiabetic), and several tannin-rich barks (antioxidant, hepatoprotective). Evidence quality is uneven, from clinical trials for a few constituents to purely in vitro or genus-level data for others. Direct pharmacological evidence on the complete Asanadi Kwatha preparation described here is essentially absent; the only formulation-level datum identified concerns a differently-sourced, similarly-named preparation and cannot be directly extrapolated.

Conclusion: Asanadi Kwatha shows a plausible, multidimensional constituent-level pharmacological rationale consistent with its classical Kapha–Pitta hara, Kashaya-dominant profile, but formulation-level pharmacological and clinical validation remains largely absent and is required before therapeutic claims for the complete decoction can be substantiated.

Caatinga Medicinal Plants in Folk Medicine: Traditional Uses, Therapeutic Evidence, and Scientific Validation

2026-10-28T08:19:42+00:00

Medicinal plants remain important resources in folk healthcare in the Brazilian semiarid region, where access to formal health services may be limited. This documentary review examined the traditional medicinal uses of five Caatinga species and assessed the correspondence between reported indications and published evidence of therapeutic activity. The species were Myracrodruon urundeuva, Aspidosperma pyrifolium, Anadenanthera colubrina, Bauhinia cheilantha and Mimosa tenuiflora. Literature searches in Portuguese and English identified phytosociological and ethnobiological studies, followed by investigations relevant to the reported medicinal uses. Information was organised by recipient of use, indication, plant part, expected action and scientific validation. Of 975 articles analysed, 8.82% provided the information required for the review, while 3.28% provided specific evidence supporting validation of plant use. The numbers of recorded use indications were 82 for M. urundeuva, 64 for A. colubrina, 23 for B. cheilantha, 19 for A. pyrifolium and 12 for M. tenuiflora. Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antimicrobial indications featured prominently, although the available evidence did not support every reported application. M. urundeuva showed the broadest range of traditional indications and the greatest diversity of scientifically investigated activities among the selected species. Overall, traditional knowledge provided a useful basis for identifying potential therapeutic applications, but gaps remained in evidence concerning efficacy, dosage and safety. Careful botanical identification, pharmacological investigation and communication of potential risks are therefore essential.