Phytochemical Screening of the Flower and Leaf Extracts of Emex australis from Jammu District (J&K, India): A Preliminary Analysis

Emex australis Steinh. reportedly a new record for Jammu District (J&K, India) belongs to family Polygonaceae. It is found growing in different habitats of diverse nature such as paddocks, roadsides, railway tracks, old homesteads, fallow lands, barren lands and gardens. In spite of being unaware about the biochemical constituents present in the leaves and roots of the species, many South African and Saudi Arabian tribes use them as a traditional cure for many diseases. To evaluate this taxon for its phytochemical composition, leaf extracts were prepared in three solvents (distilled water, acetone and methanol) while that of flowers exclusively in distilled water. For estimation of sterols, extracts of leaves and flowers were prepared in petroleum ether. The crude extracts were then subjected to specific color tests. Overall 13 of 20 bioactives were present in leaves. These are phenols, flavonoids, saponins, anthocyanides, alkaloids, phlobatannins, terpenoids, flavonols, sterols, steroids, betacyanin, coumarins and acids. Five of these, namely phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, flavonols and coumarins, were present in leaf extracts irrespective of the solvent used. Saponins, alkaloids, acids and sterols were present in both male and female flowers. However, some others were specific to male and some to female flowers.