Mohammed et al. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research www.ejpmr.com 389 CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS FROM THE RHIZOMES OF ACORUS CALAMUS, AERIAL PARTS OF DIGERA MURICATA, FRUITS OF GREWIA ASIATICA AND LEAVES OF OCIMUM SANCTUM Shahnaz Sultana 1,2 , Mohammed Ali 1 *, Showkat Rassol Mir 1 and Shazia Usmani 3 1 Phytochemistry Research Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi - 110 062, India. 2 College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia. 3 Department of Pharmacy, Integral University, Lucknow – 226026, Uttar Pradesh, India. Article Received on 11/11/2019 Article Revised on 30/11/2019 Article Accepted on 21/12/2019 INTRODUCTION Acorus calamus L., syn. A. angustatus Raf., A. angustifolius Schott (Acoraceae), called as sweet flag, beewort, bitter pepper root, calamus root, myrtle flag and sweet myrtle, is a tall perennial, semi-aquatic, aromatic herb with creeping rhizomes native to India, central Asia, southern Russia, China, Japan and eastern Europe. [1] Its rhizome has anodyne, antispasmodic, anthelmintic, carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, hypotensive, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, brain tonic and vermifuge properties and is used to treat bronchial catarrh, cough, delirium, diarrhoea, dysentery, epilepsy, hysteria, insomnia, melancholia, neurosis, remittent fevers, schizophrenia and tumors. [2-5] The rhizomes contained an essential oil comprising of α- and β-asarones, calamusins A-H and isoacorone, β- daucosterol, polysaccharide, lectins , acoradin, galangin, 2,4,5-trimethoxy benzaldehyde, 2,5-dimethoxy benzoquinone, calamendiol, spathulenol, cadinane, dihydroxyasarone and eudesmane derivatives, β- sitosterol, (+)-magnolin, bullatantriol, teuclatriol, eudesmin, diarylated naphthoyl esters and n-penta- and n-hexatetracontanes. [6-13] Digera muricata (L.) Mart., syn. D. arvensis Forssk., Achyranthes muricata L. (Amaranthaceae), known as latmahuria, lesua and false amaranth, is a small, ascending, profusely branched herb, up to 70 cm., with ovate leaves, apex acute; utricle minute, ovoid; seed one. It is spread in tropical Arabia, Africa, Yemen to Afghanistan, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia. This plant is used as an antiperiodic, astringent, alternative for secondary infertility, expectorant, laxative, refrigerant, stomachic and to treat constipation, diabetic and digestive system disorders. The seeds and flowers are taken to relieve urinary disorders and spermatorrhoea. A leaf paste is applied to prevent pus formation. A root decoction is given to mothers after child birth as a lactagogue. [14-16] The plant contains α- and β- spinasterol, rutin and hyperoside. [17, 18] SJIF Impact Factor 6.222 Research Article ISSN 2394-3211 EJPMR EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH www.ejpmr.com ejpmr, 2020,7(1), 389-396 ABSTRACT The rhizomes of Acorus calamus L. (Acoraceae), aerial parts of Digera muricata (L.) Mart. (Amaranthaceae), fruits of Grewia asiatica L. (Malvaceae) and leaves of Ocimum sanctum L. (Lamiaceae) are used to treat various diseases. This study was planned to isolate phytoconstituents from these plant materials and to characterize their structures. The air-dried powders of the herbal drugs (1.0 kg each) were exhaustively extracted with methanol individually and the concentrated each extract was adsorbed on silica gel separately for preparation of slurries. Each dried slurry was subjected to silica gel column packed in petroleum ether. The columns were eluted with organic solvents in order of increasing polarity to isolate the compounds. The rhizomes of A. calamus afforded stearyl oleate (1) and eudesman-11-ol-8β, 13-olide (2). The aerial parts of D. muricata furnished phenolic glucosides identified as 3-isopropanoic acid phenyl 1-O-α-D-glucopyranoside (3) and resorcinyl 1-O-β-D- glucopyranosyl-(6′→1′′)-O- β-D-glucopyranoside (4). An acyclic sesquiterpenic acid 2,10-dimethyl-6-methylene dodecan-1-oic acid (5) and cerotic acid (6) were isolated from the fruits of Grewia asiatica. The leaves of O. sanctum gave a carotenol carot-4,6,8,10,12,14,2′(17′), 6′(8′), 10′(19′),14′(20′) -decaene-1′-ol (ocimum xanthin, 7) and a diterpenic ester kaur-5,15(17)-dien-7β-olyl vanillate (kaurdienoyl vanillate, 8). The structures of these phytoconstituents have been established on the basis of spectral data analysis and chemical reactions. KEYWORDS: Acorus calamus rhizomes, Digera muricata aerial parts, Grewia asiatica fruits, Ocimum sanctum leaves, phytoconstituents, isolation, characterization. *Corresponding Author: Prof. Mohammed Ali Phytochemistry Research Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi - 110 062, India.