Quantitative phytochemical analysis and antioxidant potential of medicinal plants used in traditional healing practices in Lower Dir, Pakistan

Abstract

It is advantageous to use plant chemicals and ethnobotanical techniques while looking into new medications. One essential measure to distinguish the bioactive components of medicinal plants used in formal therapy is to identify the phytochemicals. In this study, 20 traditionally used medicinal plants were taken from Lower Dir, Pakistan. The medicinal plant species were identified and grouped into appropriate families. Standard procedures were used to screen these medicinal plants for the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, phlobatannis, saponins, steroids, tannins, terpenoids, and triterpenes. The phytochemical screening of 20 medicinal plant species revealed notable interspecific variation in secondary metabolites. It has been shown that nine different plant species' leaves, the whole plant body of 10 plant species and the flowers of one plant species contained major groups detected, that included alkaloids (57.1%) from 12 plants species, saponins (61.1%) from 13 plant species, tannins (95.2%) from all 20 species, steroids (52.4%) from 11 species, phenols (52.4%) from 11 species, flavonoids (76.2%) from 16 species, terpenoids (81%) from 17 species, triterpenoids (81%) from 17 species, and phlobatannins (42.9%) from 19 species. Tannins, flavonoids, and terpenoids were the most widely distributed, while alkaloids and saponins were also prominent in several species. Rich profiles were observed in Chenopodium album, Ficus carica, and Vitex negundo, whereas Justicia adhatoda, Withania somnifera, and Silybum marianum showed bioactive constituents consistent with their reported therapeutic uses. These research findings confirm traditional medicinal healing practices and the pharmacological potency of the studied florist diversity.