FORMULATING AN HERBAL LINIMENT FROM Clitoria Ternatea ROOT EXTRACT: IN VITRO ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY AND MOLECULAR DOCKING OF PHYTOCHEMICALS

Tissues' defensive reaction to damage or infection is inflammation, but unresolved inflammation contributes to arthritis, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative disease, and certain cancers. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs remain the standard therapy, but long-term use is linked to gastrointestinal distress, renal impairment, and hepatotoxicity, which has renewed interest in safer plant-derived alternatives. Butterfly pea, or Clitoria ternatea Linn. (Fabaceae), is frequently used in traditional medicine, but its root has received comparatively little attention. The current investigation assessed the ethanol extract of C. ternatea roots' capacity to reduce inflammation in vitro and developed a herbal liniment from the extract. The authenticated roots were characterised by macroscopic and microscopic examination. The ethanol extract was prepared by maceration and subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening, TLC, GC-MS, and FT-IR spectroscopy. Sandwich ELISA was used to measure IL-6 levels in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages in order to assess the anti-inflammatory activity. Molecular docking of a representative flavonoid constituent against five inflammation-related target proteins was performed using AutoDock.