PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF THREE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF CURCUMA RHIZOME

The Zingiberaceae, the largest family in the Zingerabales, comprises nearly 50 genera and 1000 species and is pantropical concentrated mainly in the old world, chiefly in Indomalaysia. Members of the family yield species, dyes, perfumes, medicines and a number of ornamental species are cultivated for their ornamental flowers. Curcuma is one of the important ‘Rasayana’ drugs mentioned in Ayurveda. In the present study three successive extractions of plant rhizomes viz. C. amada, C. malabarica and C. zedoaria were undertaken by using various solvent like alcohol, hydro-alcohol and water in their increasing polarity and the extracts thus obtained were subjected for their phytochemical analysis, followed by Thin Layer Chromatographic examination by optimizing the solvent system.