Nutritive and anti-nutritive properties of Boerhavia diffusa L.

Abstract

Plant and plant based medicines are the basis of the modern pharmaceuticals we use today for our various ailments. The present study investigates the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the major bioactive constituents of the medicinally important plant Boerhavia diffusa L. The study noticed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavanoids, saponin,terpenoid and phenols and absence ofcardiac glycoside in the ethanol, chloroform and petroleum ether extracts.The estimation of phytochemicals revealed that the quantities of flavanoids(5.651g/100g) and phenols(2.471g/100g) were higher than alkaloids(0.232 g/100 g). Moisture content, total fibre, dry weight, bulk density, total ash content, acid soluble and insoluble ash content,water soluble and insoluble content,sulphated ash were determined in the proximate analysis. The high total ash value(23.09%) suggests that the plants are rich sources of minerals since the ash content of a sample is a reflection of the minerals it contains. The Nutritional analysis includes biochemical analysis(carbohydrate,protein,fat and vitamins), mineral analysis(micro elements and macro elements)and anti-nutrient analysis.The carbohydrate(10.56mg/gm) and protein(5.76mg/gm) content of the plant was high though the quantity of fat(1.61mg/gm) was in a lower concentration. The major element present in plant is magnesium(142.9mg/100g). Since the whole plant is being consumed as part of various treatments, it necessitates the analysis of its nutritional, anti-nutritional, proximate and biochemical composition, which may be helpful to establish a standard natural drug for further research.