PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF Turnera diffusa WILLD

Turnera diffusa WILLD is a plant used in folk medicine as a natural stimulant, and the objective of this research is to perform the phytochemical analysis of the secondary metabolites of the damiana of occurrence in the Juazeiro region, northern Bahia - Brazil. A phytochemical screening was performed from three Crude Ethanol Extracts (BSE), EEB1: leaves and flowers; EEB2: stems and EEB3: root. A thin analytical layer chromatography was performed using specific developers to detect each chemical class. Alkaloids, coumarins, anthranic derivatives, phenolic compounds, mono, sequi and diterpenes, naphthoquinones, triterpenes and steroids, saponins, hydrolyzed tannins and xanthines were identified in the three extracts. Only in the BSE of leaves and flowers observed the presence of antroquinones and aglycones. The secondary metabolites identified in the study evidence the pharmacological potential of Turnera diffusa. Phytochemical screening concluded the presence of fourteen classes of secondary metabolites in damiana, indicating important medicinal potential with pharmacological effects reported in the literature