Identification of Bioactive Compounds in Methanolic Extracts of Some Selected Plants by Infrared Spectroscopy

Background and Objective: When two or more herbs are used in formulations, they are known as polyherbal formulations. This study evaluated the bioactive ingredients in some selected herbs commonly used in polyherbal mixture formulations by infrared spectroscopy. Materials and Methods: Fresh samples of Vernonia amygdalina leaves, Allium sativum, Garcinia kola, Curcuma longa and Zingiber officinale were purchased from Wukari New Market, Taraba State, Nigeria. The methanolic extract of the samples was obtained and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) analysis was conducted on the extracts. Results: The FTIR spectra of the extracts showed bands and wave numbers of between 3280 cm‾¹ and 991 cm‾¹ as the prominent peaks. The peaks at these frequencies were strong, broad and medium, which confirmed the presence of compounds with the functional groups of alkanes, alkenes, amines, carboxylic acids and alcohols in the extracts. Conclusion: All the samples showed a consistent presence of similar classes of organic compounds. The results of the study confirmed that the selected herbs are vital wellsprings of phytochemicals that offer conventional therapeutic treatment for different infirmities.