Preliminary Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Studies of Trikatu

“Trikatu” is an Ayurvedic proprietary medicine. It is the mixture of fruits of Piper nigrum, Piper longum and rhizome of Zingiber officinale. This combination is found to be active against a wide range of health problems. The present study is to evaluate the phytochemical characterization and antibacterial activities of “Trikatu”. The fruits of P. nigrum, P. longum and rhizome of Z. officinale were collected from local areas of Wayanad and Ernakulam districts of Kerala, India. Collected plant materials were washed and shade dried. The dried plant materials were then ground to fine powder and stored. Distilled water, methanol, ethanol, acetone and diethyl ether were used for extraction of the powdered samples. Analysis of phytochemicals were done using standard methods. The extracts showed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, tannins, quinine, cardiac glycosides, saponins, steroids, carbohydrates etc. The best results are obtained in methanol and ethanol extracts while diethyl ether extracts showed minimal presence of the compounds. Antibacterial activity was evaluated using agar well diffusion method against four strains of bacteria. Methanol and diethyl ether extracts showed maximum inhibitory activity against all test organisms.

Amrutha C. S1, Ashitha N. B2, Ebin Thomas3, Thomas Antony4 and Shyam Kumar S*5 Click here to download file

Research Article | Published online : 24-Jun-2022