Medicinal Potential of Acalypha wilkesiana Leaves

Background and Aim: Acalypha wilkesiana, commonly called Irish petticoat, is native to the south pacific islands and belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. The plant has antimicrobial and antifungal properties and in traditional medicine, the leaves are eaten as vegetables in the management of hypertension, being a diuretic plant. This study was conducted to determine some phytochemical (quantitative) constituents of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves, with a view to evaluating its medicinal potentials.

Method and Design: The samples (ethanol extract, aqueous extract and dried powder) of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves were analyzed for the presence of phytochemicals according to standard methods.

Results: Quantitative analysis of these phytochemicals in the leave extracts (aqueous or ethanol) and powder of this plant revealed the presence of medicinally active constituents like saponins (0.44% in the aqueous extract, 0.22% in the ethanol extract and 0.23% in the powdered leaves), cardiac glycosides (0.031% in the aqueous extract, 0.073% in the ethanol extract and 0.099% in the powdered leaves), alkaloids (0.92% in the aqueous extract, 3.20% in the ethanol extract and 2.62% in the powdered leaves) and oxalate (2.4% in the aqueous extract, 16.2% in the ethanol extract and 18.6% in the powdered leaves). Other phytochemicals found were tannins, phenols, steroids, anthraquinones, flavonoids, phytate and terpenoids.

Discussion and Conclusion: The various phytochemical compounds detected are known to have beneficial use in industries and medical sciences, and also exhibit physiological activity. The plant (Acalypha wilkesiana) studied here can be seen as a potential source of useful drugs.