Phytochemical Screening and Pharmacological Investigations of Curculigo orchioides Leaf Extracts

Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. ( C. orchioides ) is commonly known as Talamuli in Bangladesh. It is commonly distributed in Asian countries. The Indian (Ayurvedic) and Chinese traditional medicine systems use this plant frequently as an aphrodisiac herb for treating asthma and jaundice. Our study aimed to perform a comparative phytochemical analysis and evaluation of some biological effects using in vitro and in vivo approaches of its leaf’s ethanol (ECO), n-hexane (HCO), and chloroform (CCO) fractions. After extraction and fractionation, a phytochemical analysis was followed by different tests for anti-bacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-diarrheal, and anxiolytic effects. High intensity was observed for the phytochemical groups, including alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, and reducing sugars in the fractions. Crude ECO did not cause death in Swiss mice up to a 3000 mg/kg acute oral dose. HCO was inactive against the test bacteria. ECO and CCO exhibited zones of inhibition against the bacteria within 9.89 ± 3.56 and 13.00 ± 1.00 mm. HCO exhibited better radical scavenging, alpha-amylase inhibition, and anti-diarrheal effects, while CCO significantly and effectively inhibited protein denaturation and membrane lysis and had hypoglycemic and anxiolytic effects. Taken together, C. orchioides might be a good source of phytotherapeutic agents.