J Convent Knowl Holist Health, 2020, 4 (2), Article ID 207 J Convent Knowl Holist Health, 2020, 4 (2), Article ID 207 Page 1 Research article Preliminary phytochemical analysis and antibacterial study of crude extract from Hamelia patens stems V. Kanchana, G. Venkat Kumar* and R. V. Shalini Department of Biochemistry, Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. *Corresponding author. E-mail: venki89.kumar@gmail.com; Phone: +91-9790111875 Article history Received : September 08, 2020 Accepted : September 20, 2020 Keywords Hamelia patens Medicinal plants Phytochemistry Rubiaceae ABSTRACT The present study aimed to analyse the phytochemical and antibacterial activity of different extracts of the tropical plant Hamelia patens Jacq. (Rubiaceae). The antimicrobial activity was carried out using agar well diffusion method. Hexane, petroleum ether, ethanol and chloroform stem extracts (100 μL of 50 mg/mL each) were introduced into the wells separately and allowed it to undergo incubation. After the incubation time was over, the plates were observed for zones of inhibition and compared with positive control ciprofloxacin at a concentration of 30 μM. These results provided evidence that the tested plant extracts possess antimicrobial properties which can be tested further in the development of novel antimicrobial agents. © 2020 Global SciTech Ocean Publishing Co. All rights reserved. ISSN. 2581-3331 INTRODUCTION Medicinal plants are alleged to be with healing powers, and people used it for many centuries. Most of the indigenous uses of plant resources started off from the Asian region. Now, almost 80% of the world’s total population depends on traditional medicines for its primary health care needs (Ullah et al., 2010). Plants based remedies are mostly used as a substitute for allopathic medicines (Sandya et al., 2006). Local peoples in communities have unearthed the therapeutic activity of medicinal plants against certain types of diseases through their native experiences which got transferred to them from their forefathers. From the ancient times onwards, quite a large number of plants are being used in medicine for a therapeutic or prophylactic reason. The therapeutic properties of medicinal plants are due to the presence of bioactive substances like vitamins, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins and coumarins (Shagal et al., 2012). All over the world, herbal medicines were used as one of the most important areas of age-old traditional medicine. The study on the medicinal plants is essential to promote the proper use of herbal medicine to determine their potential as a source for the new drugs (Parekh and Chanda, 2007). According to the WHO, the plant-based traditional medicine systems continues to play an essential role in health care, with about 80% of the world’s inhabitants relying mainly on traditional medicines for their primary health care (WHO, 2000). Having a view to modern drug discovery, the traditional medicinal plants have been studied, analysed and developed which followed the ethnobotanical lead of indigenous healing used by our traditional medical systems (Pei, 2007). Indian herbal (plant-based) industries with considerable research in the field of pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, pharmacology and clinical therapeutics have investigated or explored these ayurvedic herbs, which are now designed into various kinds of numerous herbal formulations, which have set foot in the international pharmacopoeia through the study of ethnopharmacology and traditional medicine (Samy and Gopalakrishnakone, 2007). MATERIALS AND METHODS Sample collection The fresh, disease-free stems of Hamelia patens were collected in a pre-sterilized polythene bag from the Manamai area, located in Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu. The plant material was identified from the department of Life Sciences of the institute. The stems were shade dried at room temperature for 10 days.