Short Communications
Phenetic analysis and phytochemical screening of medicinally important Albizia spp. in Sri Lanka
Authors:
A. P. A Jayasiri,
Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, LK
S. P. Senanayake ,
University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, LK
About S. P.
Department of Botany
P. Paranagama,
Department of Chemistry,, LK
About P.
University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya
A. P. G. Amarasinghe
Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, LK
Abstract
Albizia Durazz. is a genus of 150 species in the tropics and subtropics of the world and belongs to the sub family Mimosaceae in the Family Fabaceae. Of the six species recorded in Sri Lanka, A. lebbeck is used as a shady tree while A. odoratissima is grown mainly for their timber value, However, A. odoratissima and A. lebbeck are found to be used in ayurvedic medicine however, the medicinal properties of these species are not fully understood. A questionnaire survey was carried out using a hundred sample population to identify their medicinal usage. Floral and vegetative characters of the above two Albizia spp. were observed and phenetic relationships were identified. Air dried stem barks of A. odoratissima and A. lebbeck were subjected to sequential solvent extraction using hexane, chloroform, methanol and water, and the crude weight of the yield were obtained. The results revealed that ayurvedic physicians and traditional ayurvedic medical practitioners use A. odoratissima in medicinal preparations whereas the medicinal use of A. lebbeck is not reported. Further, it was revealed that Samanea saman and Adenanthera pavonina are commonly used as substitutes for A. lebbeck. Knowledge of phenetic variation of the two Albizia spp. can be used for accurate identification which prevents adulteration. Highest yield was obtained from the methanolic extracts. These extracts were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening to assess the occurrence of different phytochemicals. Results have shown the presence of glylcosides, tannins, phenolics, phytosteroids and flavonoids in methanolic extracts A. odoratissima, and A. lebbeck. The present study suggests that further studies should be conducted on the identification of active compounds in these two plant species for their pharmacognostic properties in order to understand their mode of remedial action for ailments.
How to Cite:
Jayasiri, A.P.A., Senanayake, S.P., Paranagama, P. and Amarasinghe, A.P.G., 2016. Phenetic analysis and phytochemical screening of medicinally important Albizia spp. in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences), 44(2), pp.85–90. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/cjsbs.v44i2.7353
Published on
03 Jun 2016.
Peer Reviewed
Downloads
