Research Article

A Prelimnary Study on Phytoconstituents of rhodiola Species
of Trans – Himalayan Cold Desert

X.Janifer Raj* and M. Pal Murugan

Abstract


Alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, steroids and cardiac glycoside distribution in Rhodiola species of high altitude cold desert belonging to Crassulaceae family were assessed and compared. The plants investigated were Rhodiola imbricata and Rhodiola heterodenta which are widely used since ages in the traditional Amchi system of medicine in the Ladakh region of India. The qualitative presence of the phytochemical was detected using aqueous extracts and solvent fractions of plants using various biochemical tests. The plants studied can be seen as a potential source of useful drugs. Further studies are necessary to isolate, identify, characterize and elucidate the structure of the novel bioactive compounds. The significance of the plants in traditional medicine and the importance of the distribution of these chemical constituents are discussed with respect to the role of these plants in ethno medicine of Ladakh.

Key Words: Anti-stress, Medicinal plant, Trans-Himalaya, Bioactive compounds, Traditional medicine.

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Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), C/O 56 APO, Leh, Jammu and Kashmir. *Corresponding Author: jennipal@gmail.com