QUALITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF INDIGENOUS MEDICINAL PLANT ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA

Andrographis paniculata commonly known as Kalmegh and widely recognized as the “King of Bitters,” is an important medicinal plant belonging to the family Acanthaceae. It has long been used in traditional systems of medicine for the management of fever, gastrointestinal disorders, liver diseases, respiratory ailments, and infectious conditions. The present study aimed to conduct a preliminary qualitative phytochemical investigation of A. paniculata to identify major classes of bioactive secondary metabolites. Plant material was collected, authenticated, shade-dried, pulverized, and extracted using methanol. The extract was subjected to standard qualitative phytochemical tests for alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids, steroids, carbohydrates, proteins, and related phytoconstituents. The representative screening profile indicated the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds, saponins, glycosides, terpenoids, and carbohydrates, while steroids and proteins showed comparatively weak or negative reactions depending on the extract and test conditions. The detection of terpenoid constituents is particularly important because A. paniculata is known to contain characteristic diterpenoid lactones, especially andrographolide and related compounds. The observed phytochemical diversity supports the ethnomedicinal importance of the plant and provides preliminary information for further pharmacognostic standardization, quantitative estimation, chromatographic fingerprinting, and biological evaluation. Qualitative phytochemical screening may therefore serve as an important initial step in the quality assessment and scientific validation of A. paniculata as a medicinal plant.