Phytochemical screening

The study focuses on the phytochemical profiling of selected Indian medicinal plants using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), two key methods for fingerprinting in the quality control of herbal products. The primary objective is to establish standard chromatographic fingerprints for Withania somnifera, Azadirachta indica, and Centella asiatica, which are commonly used in traditional Indian medicine. Dried plant materials were extracted with methanol, and TLC and HPLC under optimised conditions were used to identify major bioactive markers. The chromatograms run were examined with retention factors (RF) and retention times (RT), and peaks were compared with known phytoconstituents. TLC was used to provide separation based on the compound class and HPLC provided quantification in detail. The findings indicate that TLC and HPLC fingerprinting are powerful and complementary methodologies for standardising herbal medications and ensuring the consistency of batches. These results have regulatory, pharmacovigilance, and quality assurance implications in the traditional medicine industry.