Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of hair growth-promoting plants

Abstract

The aim of this research work is to perform qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of hair growthpromoting plants (Aloe barbadensis miller, Murraya koenigii, Bacopa monnieri, Annona squamosa, Nardostachys jatamansi, Nigella sativa, Trigonella foenum-graecum). Materials and Methods: First, extraction was done using the Soxhlet extraction technique with two solvents, petroleum ether and methanol. Then, qualitative phytochemical screening of hair growth-promoting plants was done by several phytochemical tests, in which methanolic extracts showed the presence of various active constituents in these plants. After this, a quantitative analysis is performed by determining total phenolic content (TPC). Folin-Ciocalteu method is used to determine phenolic content. 10 mg Gallic acid was dissolved in 10 mL methanol to make a 1 mg/mL solution; various aliquots of 10–50 µg/mL were prepared in methanol. 10 mg of dried extract was dissolved in 10 mL of methanol and filtered. Two mL (1 mg/ mL) of this extract was used for the estimation of phenol. 2 mL of each extract and each standard was mixed with 1 mL of Folin–Ciocalteu reagent (previously diluted with distilled water 1:10 v/v) and 1 mL (7.5 g/L) of sodium carbonate. The mixture was vortexed for 15 s and allowed to stand for 10min for color development. The absorbance was measured at 765 nm using a spectrophotometer. Results and Discussion: The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of leaf extracts of A. barbadensis, M. koenigii, A. squamosa, B. monnieri, roots of N. jatamansi, and seeds of T. foenum-graecum and N. sativa shows the presence of various functional chemical constituents such as alkaloids, steroids, tannins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and many others. Conclusion: All plant extracts have several essential chemical constituents and have good content of phenolic compounds. Hence, these plants could be used to develop herbal hair formulations because these plants are proven to be best for the restoration of hair.