Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part A (2024)

India has a rich treasure of medicinal plants which played a significant role in Traditional System of Medicine (TSM). Ayurveda is well known TSM in India and widely practicing by the health practitioners. In recent times, there has been a great demand for herbal products in developed and developing countries. These products are decreasing continuously due to over exploitation and their medicinal uses. Plants are a rich source of natural products that are commonly known as secondary metabolites and chemically known as bioactive compounds which are used for the treatments of number of ailments as anti-inflammatory agents, leukotriene antagonistic agents, anti-arthritic agents, anti-cancer agents, antidiabetic agents and so on. Pluchea ovalis is one of the most important medicinal plants, belonging to the Asteraceae family and having numerous remedial uses. In the present study, Pluchea ovalis leaves were selected for their anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, after identification, authentication from BSI, Allahabad, shade dried leaves of this plants were used for the isolation of the extract using continuous hot extraction process, that is known as soxhlation.

The present study deals with the preliminary phytochemical screening of plant Pluchea ovalis leaves extract for the confirmation of biologically active phytochemicals and its anti-inflammatory properties. Phytochemicals are responsible for medicinal properties and are secreted by the plants for their self-defensive purposes and are popularly known as secondary metabolites viz. flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, glycosides and phenolic compounds which possess number of medicinal properties viz. anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, antiarthritic, antiallergic properties. The pharmacological studies conducted by the number of pioneer workers suggests anti-inflammatory properties of Pluchea ovalis.