Assessment of Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, Hypoglycemic, Antidiarrheal, and Anxiolytic Effects of Curculigo orchioides Leaf Extracts

Abstract

Curculigo orchioides Gaertn., commonly known as Talamuli in Bangladesh and widely distributed across Asia, is traditionally used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as an aphrodisiac and 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. Phytochemical screening revealed high concentrations of alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, and reducing sugars. Acute toxicity tests confirmed ECO’s safety up to 3000 mg/kg in Swiss mice. Antibacterial assays indicated ECO and CCO exhibited moderate inhibition against tested bacteria, while HCO showed no activity. HCO demonstrated superior antioxidant, α-amylase inhibitory, and anti-diarrheal effects, whereas CCO effectively suppressed protein denaturation, stabilized membranes, and exhibited significant hypoglycemic and anxiolytic effects. Taken together, C. orchioides might be a good source of phytotherapeutic agents.