BIOPOTENTIAL EVALUATION OF SELECTED SEA GRASSES OF COASTAL THOOTHUKUDI

INTRODUCTION

An effective scientific study of traditional medicines fundamentally begins

with a sound understanding of the mode of usage and the therapeutic indications of

the associated medicinal plants. This helps researchers to device appropriate strategies

and protocols for studying the medicinal plants at various levels including the crude

extracts, the individual phytochemicals and their biological activities.

Phytochemistry is mainly concerned with enormous varieties of secondary

plant metabolites which are biosynthesized by plants. These non-nutrient plant

chemical compounds or bioactive components are often referred as phytochemicals.

The plant kingdom represents a treasure trove of structurally diverse bioactive

molecules. Most of the best plant medicines are the sum of their constituents. Plants

are endowed with various phytochemical molecules such as vitamins, terpenoids,

phenolic acids, lignins, stilbenes, tannins, flavonoids, quinones, coumarins, alkaloids,

amines, betalains, and other metabolites, which are rich in antioxidant activity (Zheng

and Wang 2001; Cai et al., 2003)