High Technology Letters ISSN NO : 1006-6748 Preliminary Phytochemical Screening o nRoot Part of Careya arborea Roxb. Nand Kumar Kashyap , Milan Hait * Department of Chemistry, Dr. C.V. Raman University, Kota, BilaspurBilaspur,, C.G. -495113, India. *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract Preliminary phytochemical screening is an important step in detecting biologically active compounds present in medicinal plants and subsequently leading to drug discovery and development. Use standard methods to perform a preliminary phytochemical screenin g of the root extracts and solvent fractions of Careya arborea Roxb . This study involved the phytochemical characteristics of the roots of Careya arborea Roxb . Qualitative chemical examination showed that there are various phytochemicals in plant root extracts, such as alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, sterols, phenol, carbohydrates, tannins, and glycosides. The presence of various biologica lly active ingredients helps traditional healers to apply Careya arborea Roxb. to various diseases. The investigation revealed the specific characteristics of specific raw drugs, which will be suitable for identification and control to reduce the value of raw drugs. Keywords: Careya arborea , root, extraction yield, phytochemical analysis . 1. INTRODUCTION Phytochemicals are compounds produced by plants. They exist in leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, seeds, and various parts of plants. These phytochemicals are be lieved to protect against various diseases. Plants are the oldest and most important source of medicine. Information from various records reveals the use of plants as medicines about 60,000 years ago. Since the birth of humans on this planet, plants have b een used to diagnose, trea t, and prevent various diseases [1-2] . Conventional medications that are commonly used to treat many diseases are not always safe or effective and sometimes exceed the affordability or accessibility of the majority of people in the world [3] . The traditional medicine system, which is based on the use of herbal medicine as medicine, is one of the most famous alternatives for these patients. Although there are several treatments available from synthetic sources, there is still a need t o evaluate new, inexpensive, and cost -effective drugs to meet future disease-related challenges. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of herbal medicines in the healthcare system is increasing over time [4-6] . Medicinal plants and plant extracts have become an important source of new drugs and rewarding results have been obtained in the treatment of various diseases. Careya arborea Roxb is the generic name for wild guava and is a member of the Lecythidaceae family. It is a medium -sized d eciduous tree with a height of 20m. Careya arborea Roxb is commonly known as "Padmaka" in Ayurveda [7-8] , Ka Li Yu Rui in Chinese medicine [9] , Katabhi in Sanskrit [10] , and Kumhi in Chhattisgarh. It is widely used in India, the Malay Peninsula, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, and Myanmar. In India, it is found in Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and forests and grasslands. In 1819, a genus of flowering plants in the Lecythidacea family was described as Careya [11] . The f amily Lecythidaceae is included in the order Ericales and is considered a single line [12] . The term Lecythidaceae means large tropical trees that produce large frui ts with woody skin [7] . Lecythidaceae is a tropical tree family consisting of about 20 differ ent Volume 27, Issue 7, 2021 783 http://www.gjstx-e.cn/ High Technology Letters ISSN NO : 1006-6748 genera and 450 different species. This family usually lives in tropical humid regions of South America, and there are some genera in Africa and Asia [13] . Careya arborea Roxb is a very attractive tree with a spreading crown. The leaves are simple, glabrous, alternate, widely obovate or oblong, clustered at the ends of branches, strong and marginal, and the leaves turn red in winter. The flowers are large, sessile, yellowish-white [10] , pink, and the persistent calyxes have crowns. The flowering period is from March to April. The fruit is a drupe, berry-shaped, large, green, fleshy, crowned with calyx members, globose and round [7,14] . The bark is dark gray [10] and usually peels off in thin strips [2,13,15-16] . The wood is medium in texture, hard in texture, heavy, and strong. The sapwood is white, while the heartwood is reddish [17] . The seeds are dark brown, not cracked, hard and wrinkled [7] , and nest in large cotyledons of fleshy and fleshy embryos [18] . The root is reddish-brown, spicy, odorless, and wrinkled on the surface. The root of Careya arborea Roxb is used in Ayurveda [19] for tuberculosis and bone fractures and it is also used in Vata and Kapha [20] . It has many pharmacological activities, such as anti-fertility, antibacterial, hyperglycemic, antidiarrheal, and antifungal [21-23] . In this study, preliminary phytochemical screening and their qualitative analysis were done using standard methods to identify the dry form of the drug and monitor for adulteration. 2. MATERIAL AND METHODS 2.1 Collection of plant materials The root of Careya arborea Roxb was collected from the Pamgarh area (Pamgarh, Loharsi, Kesala, and Madanpur) District Janjgir-Champa (Chhattisgarh) in Feb’ 2020. The plant materials were taxonomically identified and authenticated by BSI Allahabad (UP). 2.2 Processing of Plant materials: The plant materials were cleaned, washed with fresh water, and shade dried until all the water molecules evaporated, and the shed dried plant material (root) was taken and grind into a coarse powder. The powder samples were stored in a clean and air-tight container with proper labeling for further analysis. 2.3 Preparation of plant extracts: The root extract of the plant was prepared by the Soxhlet extraction method. About 50 gram coarse powder of plant material ( Careya arborea Roxb. roots) was packed into a thimble and extracted with 250 ml of various solvents separately. The solvent used was petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol, methanol, and water (according to their polarity nature). The process of extraction continues for 24 hours or till the solvent in the siphon tube of an extractor becomes colorless. After that, the extract was taken in a beaker and kept in a water bath, and heated at 30-40 oC till all the solvent got evaporated. The dried extract was kept in the refrigerator at 4 oC for further use in phytochemical analysis. 2.4 Percentage of Extraction Yield: The coarse powder of the root of Careya arborea Roxb. (5gm) each was weighed into two beakers and was extracted with a various solvent. The percentage extractive yield is calculated according to the following formula, and the values are shown in Table: 1 Where, W1 = weight of dried extract and W2 = weight of dried root Volume 27, Issue 7, 2021 784 http://www.gjstx-e.cn/ High Technology Letters ISSN NO : 1006-6748 2.5 Qualitative phytochemical analysis: The extracts were tested for the presence of various phytochemicals (secondary metabolites) by using the following standard methods [24- 33] as described in Table 2: 2.6 Preliminary phytochemical screening: Phytochemical screening is very important to identify new sources of therapeutic importance for phytochemistry. These tests revealed the existence of several biologically active secondary metabolites, which may be the reason for their medicinal properties. The observations and inferences made in the phytochemical test are described below: I. Test for Alkaloids: Dragendorff test: The extract was treated with few drops of Dragendorff reagent. Extract become orange-red (Reddish brown) colour, which indicates alkaloids are present in extracts. Wagener test: A small amount of extracts was treated with 4-5 drops of Wagner reagent (1.27gram I2 and 2 grams of KI in 100 ml of water). The extract gives the Reddish-brown colour. It means alkaloids are present in these extracts. II. Test for Flavonoids: Sinoda test: Take a small amount of extract then add Mg powder with a few drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid, pinkish type red colour is obtained which indicates the presence of flavonoid. Lead acetate test: Take a small amount of extract then add few drop 10% lead acetates (alcoholic solution) yellowish precipitate observed which indicate the presence of flavonoid . III. Test for Saponins (Foam test) : Take a small amount of sample and added 6 ml water to a test tube. The mixture was shaken well and observed for the formation of persistent foam which indicates the presence of saponins. IV. Test for Phenol (Ferric chloride test) Take a small amount of extract and treated it with an aqueous 5% FeCl 3. The deep blue or black colour is obtained, which means phenol is available in extracts. V. Test for Carbohydrates (Molisch test) Add few drops of Molisch reagent (1% naphthol in 80% ethanol + concentrated sulphuric acid) were added to the sample, without mixing, to form an upper phase. Formation of red or purple colour at the interface of the two layers, which indicates the presence of carbohydrates. VI. Test for Cardiac glycosides (Killer Killiani test) Take a small amount of extract was treated with 2 ml of glacial acetic acid in a test tube and a drop of FeCl 3 solution was added to it. This was deliberately underplayed with 1 ml conc. H2SO 4. An earthy-coloured (brown) ring at the interface showed the presence of deoxy sugar. A violet or purple ring will show up beneath the ring while in the acetic acid layer, a greenish color ring appear indicates carbohydrates are present. VII. Test for Sterols (Leibermann-Burchard test) Take a small amount of sample and treated with 1 ml anhydrous acetic acid, 1 ml chloroform and 2-3 drop concentrate sulphuric acid and observed for the formation of blue or greenish- red colour, which indicates the presence of sterols.