Abstract

Clitoria ternatea is a medicinal herb with great therapeutic applications. It is commonly known as butterfly pea which belongs to the Fabaceae family, it is native to tropical regions of India. In the present study, the leaves and flower extracts of Clitoria ternatea were used for carrying out phytochemical screening by FTIR spectroscopic ananlysis qualitatively, as well as quantitative analysis of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and also in vitro antioxidant activity were estimated. For estimation of antioxidant activity, DPPH, hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide methods were used. From the FTIR spectral analysis, it was revealed that the leaf and flower methanolic extracts of Clitoria ternatea possess wide range of bioactive compounds such as alcohols, phenols, primary, secondary amines, carboxylic acids, nitro compounds, etc. Clitoria ternatea leaves and flower extracts exhibited the significant quantity of phenols and flavonoids, which were compared with standard gallic acid and quercetin. From the results, it was shown that the leaf and flower extracts have antioxidant activity against in vitro generated radicals like DPPH, hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide. Hence it is concluded from the results that the significant amount of phytochemicals, phenolic and flavonoid contents present both in leaves and flowers are responsible for the in vitro antioxidant activity of Clitoria ternatea, and it is potential to be an alternative source of natural antioxidants.