EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION, PHYTOCHEMICALS, ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF CENTELLA ASIATICA

Abstract

In Bangladesh, Centella asiatica is widely known as Thankuni and is used as folk medicine. As it is said to have medicinal purposes such as diarrhoea, dysentery, constipation, wound healing, fever and kidney diseases, it is eaten raw by local people. This study aimed to evaluate nutritional composition, phytochemicals, antioxidants and antimicrobial activity to priorities the edibility and the medicinal uses of Centella asiatica. The presence of tannin, saponin, flavonoid, phenol, steroid, trapezoid and reducing sugar were revealed by phytochemical analysis of the methanolic extract. It has a decent amount of nutrient content, such as carbohydrates (42.96%), minerals (16.44%) and crude fiber (17.02%). DPPH free radical scavenging assay, total phenol content and total flavonoid content have determined the existence of antioxidant capacity of Centella asiatica. In terms of the values of the extracts, the DPPH free radical was found at 33.44 μg/ml where the IC₅₀ value for standard ascorbic acid was 9.22 μg/ml. The quantitative analysis of total phenol content was 7.68 mg GAE/g and the total flavonoid content was 12.90 mg QE/g. Those results indicated that the plant has high antioxidant properties and has great potential to be used in the treatment of various diseases. Centella asiatica was extracted with methanol, ethanol and water. The extracts were then tested by the disc diffusion method for efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and E. Coli. The Centella asiatica had a higher yield of 11-16 mm with ethanol as a solvent, followed by methanol and water. The growth of Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli was significantly inhibited by Centella asiatica extracts, which can be furthered established as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics. From the above biochemical quantification, it may be concluded that the plants can be incorporated as a good source of nutrients in our diet.