Preliminary phytochemical screening of chromolaena odorata (l.) r.m.king & h. rob. and adhatoda vasica nees

Chromolaena odorata is a toxic weed belonging to the family Asteraceae, wide spread over many parts of the world including Nigeria. The young leaves are crushed and the resulting liquid can be used to treat skin wounds. The leaves, roots and flowers of Adhatoda vasica belonging to the family Acanthaceae also called vasa or vasaka, were used expensively in Traditional Indian Medicine for thousands of years to treat respiratory disorders such as asthma. In the present study, a preliminary screening has been carried out to analyze the presence of various phytochemicals in the two test plants namely, Chromolaena odorata and Adhatoda vasika. The study revealed the presence of almost all the phytochemicals tested except alkaloids in Chromolaena odorata. In Adhatoda vasika, most of the phytochemicals were present except for a few extract, where it was absent.