Simplified Screening by TLC of Plant Drugs

A rapid and economical procedure for the determination of the main active principles of medicinal plants (alkaloids, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, essential oils) is proposed. The extraction of these active principles has been performed by means of three solvents, based on a method of increasing polarity. The plant extracts, whose compositions are known, were analysed on silica gel layers with the aid of three solvent systems and six spray reagents.