ABSTRACT

Medicinal plants have long been recognized for their potential to alleviate various ailments, owing to the presence of phytochemicals with diverse therapeutic properties. Justicia carnea, a plant rich in bioactive compounds, has been traditionally used as a haemoglobin booster, and it also offers other remedial advantages. In this study, the leaves of Justicia carnea were collected, dried, and pulverized. Cold extraction was done using methanol. A portion of the crude extract was screened for phytochemical constituents, while the other portion was subjected to vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) using selected solvent systems: 100% hexane, 100% ethyl acetate, hexane:acetate (1:1), and 100% methanol as the eluting solvent. The ethyl acetate brown solid fraction was monitored by thin layer chromatography (TLC), and characterization was done by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).  The percentage yield of the crude extract was found to be 17.8%, and the results of the phytochemical screening showed the presence of seven (7) out of ten (10) investigated phytochemicals, which included alkaloids, reducing sugar, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, phenolics, and terpenoids. Tannins, eugenols, and steroids were absent. The HPLC analysis revealed nineteen (19) compounds, including kaempferol, oxalic acid, gallic acid, and justicinol, which  have been extensively studied for their pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer effects. The findings of this study indicated that Justicia carnea has useful bioactive compounds with a lot of therapeutic properties that can be harnessed for their medicinal value.