AVERINENI RAVI KUMAR K.M. SUBBU RATHINAM AND G. PRABAKAR
Abstract
Alkaloids, tannins, saponins, steroids, terpenoicls, flavonoicis, phlobatannins and cardic glycoside distribution in ten medicinal plants belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae have been assessed and compared. The medicinal plants investigated in the present study, were Calotropis procera, Ceropegia juncea, Cosmostigma racemosum, Cryptolepis buchananii, Gyinneina sylvestre, Hemidesnius indicus, Pentatropis capensis, Pergularia daemia, Sarcostemnia secamone and Wattakaka volubilis. All the plants are found to have alkaloids, tannins and flavonoids but no tannins in C. racernosum and P. capensis and no flavonoids in S. secamone. The significance of these plants used in traditional medicine and the importance of the distribution of these chemical constituents are discussed.