Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activities of Homalomena aromatica Schott.

Abstract

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants play a significant role in economic, socio-cultural and ecological aspects of local communities all over the world. One such plant is Homalomena aromatica Schott. belonging to family Araceae. Its rhizome bears several medicinal properties like antidepressant, analgesic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, antispasmodic activities and treating joint pain. The rhizome even contains essential oil which has a high demand in perfumery and cosmetic industries. These medicinal and aromatic properties in the plant are due to the presence of certain phytochemicals and antioxidant property. The present study is carried out to ascertain the qualitative phytochemical constituents and antioxidant property of the plant. Antioxidant activity is evaluated by free radical scavenging activity of DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay. Various significant bioactive compounds from the crude methanolic extract were identified and characterized by GC-MS analysis. The free radical scavenging activities were investigated based on the presence of phenols and flavonoids in the plant extract. Due to presence of various important bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity, the plant could be a significant source of modern synthetic drug production.