Phytochemical Screening, Antibacterial Activity and Fatty Acids from Heliotropium Indicum

Heliotropium indicum are used in ethnomedicine for treating skin rashes, inflammation, tumors and various diseases of microbial origin. Previous work focused on phytochemical constituents, antibacterial activities and isolated compounds. The whole plant was air dried and pulverized (600 g). It was extracted with ethanol and concentrated to dryness in vacuo (20 g). Screening for phytochemical groups was performed using qualitative methods. The antibacterial activity was performed using agar diffusion and antifungal activity using ditch plate method. Compounds were characterized using Gas-chromatography Mass Spectrometry. The results of the phytochemical screening revealed the presence of phenols, saponins, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides. The results further showed the crude extract of the plant to be moderate to strong antibacterial activity with zones of inhibition ranging from 12.0 + 1.6 mm and 25 +1.7 mm. the crude extracts of Heliotropium indicum demonstrated antibacterial properties which confirmed the traditional use of this plant in treating skin rashes and boil. In addition, the presence of Palmitate and Linoleic acid I the plant as revealed in this study justified the use of this plant in treating hypertension.