PJB-2022-258
THERAPEUTIC, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS COLLECTED FROM THE LOCAL MARKETS OF DISTRICT RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN
Shaheen Begum
Abstract
Modern medicines are expensive and that is why low-income people around the globe prefers the traditional sources for curing their ailments. Modern drugs are also responsible for many allergic reactions and other side effects, therefore, the demand for traditional source of medicines is increasing day by day. Present work aims to study therapeutic and physicochemical parameters of 20 medicinal plants to take a step forward for incorporating traditional sources of therapeutic importance in novel synthetic drugs. Physicochemical parameters including pH, electrical conductivity and chemical parameters including nitrates, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel were studied using Crison pH meter, Crison EC meter, atomic absorption spectrometer, flame photometer and UV-visible spectrometer. All the studied medicinal plant showed the content of nitrates, heavy metals and mineral elements below the toxic levels except chromium for which WHO (1984) set 0.00 mg/kg as permissible limit for edible plants. Preliminary Phytochemicals screening of alkaloids, saponins, tannins and flavonoids was also carried out in present study. All the plants except Rosa indica L., Cocos nucifera L., Plantago ovata Forsk, Mentha sylvestris L., Punica granthum L. and Cassia fistula were identified with presence of all these 4 phytochemical classes. It is concluded that medicinal plants being used in our traditional systems are comparatively safe. However, collection of these plants from different soil and ecological conditions might affect the amount of heavy metals. Keywords: Medicinal plants, Therapeutic Uses, Heavy Metals, Electrical Conductivity, pH
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