CHEMICAL STUDIES ON SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS PORTULACA OLERACEA L

Abstract

Portulaca oleracea L,Purslane, family Pmtulacaceae, one of the medicinal Plants was chemically examined. The leaves as well as the seeds of Portulaca oleracea were examined separately for their volatile oil contents, fatty acids, terpenoids, steroids, glycosides, amino acids, coumarines, neutral hydrocarbons and carbohydrates. In addition to this work, a phytochemical screening was done on the leaves which show the presence ofunsaturated sterols, triterpenes, saponins, coumarins and cardiac glycosides. Screening of the roots of Portulaca oleracea L. indicated the presence of sterols, saponins and coumarins, while the seeds were subjected to a phytochemical screening under optimized conditions of their germination for periods of two days, one week and two weeks. It was observed that the increament of unsaturated sterols 1s accompanied by increasing the period of germination. Also, the disappearance of alkaloids during the germination time. In addition to , unsaturated sterols, saponins and coumarins were observed. The volatile oils of the seeds were intensively studied by GC, GC/MS at 15 e.v. and GC/MS at 70 e.v. These spectra revealed the presence of a- pinene, 1,8-cineol, bomeol, menthol, methyl chavical, camphene, methyl cim1amate, eugenol, methyl eugenol, chamasuline, caryophillene, thymol, terpinol, anisaldehyde, anise alcohol, 1,1-diphenyl-2[2,4,6-trinitrophenyl hyd-razine], and phenyl ethyl alcohol. Among those compounds, methyl chavical was the main products, > 50% of the constiteunts. The biological activity of volatile oils were examined and were fom1d to have positive antimicrobial effect of nine types of bacteria among ten of the tested micro-organisms. The methyl esters of fatty acids GC indicated the presence of methyl hepta decanoate, methyl stearate, methyl hinecosanoate, methyl behenate, and methyl tricosanoate. The hydrocarbons were analysed on GC/MS.