QUALITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF INDIGENOUS MEDICINAL PLANT CORDIA MYXA

Medicinal plants have long been recognized as valuable sources of bioactive compounds with diverse therapeutic properties and continue to play an essential role in traditional and modern healthcare systems. The increasing demand for plant-derived medicines has encouraged researchers to investigate the phytochemical composition of medicinal plants to identify compounds that may contribute to their pharmacological activities. Cordia myxa is a medicinal plant traditionally used in the management of various ailments, including respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, inflammation, and infections. Despite its widespread traditional use, scientific evaluation of its phytochemical constituents remains important to validate its medicinal potential. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the phytochemical constituents present in the methanolic extract of Cordia myxa through qualitative phytochemical screening.Fresh plant material of Cordia myxa was collected, cleaned, dried, and processed into powdered form before extraction with methanol using standard extraction procedures. The resulting methanolic extract was subjected to preliminary qualitative phytochemical screening using established laboratory methods. Different chemical tests were employed to identify the presence or absence of major classes of phytochemicals. Alkaloids were detected using Mayers, Wagners, Dragendorffs, and Hagers tests. Carbohydrates were analyzed by Molischs, Benedicts, and Fehlings tests.