Isolation of tannins from the leaves of Nephelium lappaceum L. (Sapindaceae) and the HPTLC of the isolated compound

Abstract

Since disease, decay and death have always co-existed with life, the study of diseases and their treatment must also have been contemporaneous with the dawn of the human intellect. Herbs are staging a comeback and herbal ‘renaissance’ is happening all over the globe. The herbal products today symbolise safety in contrast to the synthetics that are regarded as unsafe to human and environment. So, the preliminary phytochemical screening of the leaves of Nephelium lappaceum L. were conducted and it showed the presence of Tannins. Tannins are astringent plant bitter polyphenols that either bind and precipitate or shrink proteins. Tannins have also been reported to exert other physiological effects such as to accelerate blood clotting, reduce blood pressure, decrease the serum lipid level, produce liver necrosis, and modulate immune responses. Hence an attempt has been made to isolate the tannins and its HPTLC profile was compared with standard Tannic acid. The area under the curve was also determined.