Preliminary Study and Phytochemical Screening of Arum dioscorides Sibth. in Syria

Raphides (calcium oxalate needles) were detected in both of Arum dioscorides Sibth. et Sm. leaves and rhizomes. The extraction method of the leaves was optimized, in order to choose the most suitable solvent and method. The best solvent was the following mixture: ethanol, water, hexane, chloroform, acetone 38:16:25:9:12 v/v respectively. In addition, the second best solvent was aqueous ethanol 65%. While for the extraction method itself, sonication aided extraction at room temperature gave significantly better yields than maceration for 72 hours. Moreover, and the suitable time for sonicationaided extraction is 20 minutes. Because there was no significant yield increase through time prolongation after 20 min. Qualitative phytochemical screening of both the leaves and rhizomes was carried out indicating the presence of these phytochemicals in both of leaves and rhizomes: alkaloids, amino acids, phenolic acids, carbohydrates, coumarines, flavonoids, lignans, saponins, sterols, tannins, triterpinoids, pro anthocyanidin, catchins and traces of cyanogenic glycosides. While it has shown the absence of anthranoids and cardiac glycosides.