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)
