ABSTRACT
Objective: To identify the flavonoids HPTLC profile (bio-marker), at species level, for the identification and confirmation of crude drugs, HPTLC separation was initiated on different parts of Aerva lanata (A. lanata) L. from South India. Methods: Preliminary phytochemical screening was done by following the method of Harborne. HPTLC studies were carried out following Harborne and)Wagner et al method. The ethyl acetate-butanone-formic acid-water (5:3:1:1) was employed as mobile phase for flavonoids. Results: The methanolic extract of stem, leaves, root, flower and seeds of A. lanata showed the presence of 19 different types of flavonoids with 19 different Rf values with range 0.05 to 0.98. In general more degree of flavonoids diversity has been observed in vegetative parts when compared to the reproductive part. Maximum number of flavonoids has been observed in leaves followed by root and leaves. Conclusions: The results of the present study supplement the folkloric usage of the studied plants which possess several known and unknown bioactive compounds with bio-activity. By isolating and identifying these bioactive compounds new drugs can be formulated to treat various diseases. It can be concluded that constituents of A. lanata have effective components which can be utilized as useful herb for alleviation of various illness and disorder.