Drug molecules from medicinal plants- A step wise Guide

Higher plants are a rich source of bioactive constituents or phytopharmaceuticals used in the pharmaceutical industry. Many of these pharmaceuticals are still in use today and are often used as synthetic substitutes that have been found to possess the same efficacy and pharmacological specificity. Phytochemicals of only a small percentage have been studied and of these phytochemicals, and even lesser percentage has been examined for their biological properties as its research involves a complex and expensive process in which research has plenty of space to improve steps to utilize the biologically active compounds from plant resources. Indigofera caerulea Roxb is a well-known shrub among native medical practitioners in folk medicine and is used for the treatment of jaundice. Studies on the systemic research methodology and scientific evaluation based on traditional herbal medicines of I. caerulea remain unexplored. The present study dwells on the identification, isolation, and in silico analysis of bioactive compounds from I. caerulea through various biological and chromatographic techniques based on the activity-guided fractionation of its leaf methanolic extract.