PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF Cirsium verutum AND Meconopsis aculeata

The presence of different types of secondary metabolites and phytochemicals in the medicinal plants which have wide ranges of benefits for human health and nutrition was confirmed in many of the scientific reports and studies. Cirsium verutum and Meconopsis aculeate are one of those medicinal plants found in the Himalayan regions and are being used in different herbal preparations in traditional Tibetan medicine. The phytochemical analysis and biological activities of C. verutum and M. aculeate extracted from six different solvents indicated the presence of different types of potential secondary metabolites. Total phenolic content (TPC) of C. verutum showed the maximum phenols in the ethanol extracts with 6.877 ± 0.013 mg/GAE g and M. aculeata showed the highest total flavonoid content (TFC) in the ethyl acetate extracts with 15.637±0.085 mg/QE g. The free radical scavenging activity using DPPH indicated the maximum activity in the ethanol extracts of C. verutum with around 95% activity. The antimicrobial activity revealed that both the plant samples were effective against the bacteria and the fungus cultures. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the bacteria and fungi was 2.50 µg/ml.