An overview of extraction, isolation and characterization techniques of phytocompounds from medicinal plants.

Medicinal plants have been used since time immemorial for the treatment of many types of diseases along with epidemics. They show many biological activities like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-insecticidal, antibiotic, anti-parasitic, anti-hemolytic properties etc. Different types of bioactive compounds, present in the medicinal plants, play a key role in prevention of diseases and also used for manufacturing medicines. Thus, phytochemicals have an immense value to communities worldwide. The present review focused on the extraction, purification and characterisation method for isolation of phytocompounds. Both the conventional like maceration, percolation, digestion, infusion a decoction, soxhlet and reflux, hydro distillation and steam distillation method and modern technique of extraction like ASE, microwave- and ultrasound-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, enzyme-assisted fluid extraction, pressurised hot water extraction are elaborately explained in the present review. The methodology of purification by LLF & LLP, recrystallization, different chromatographic techniques like TLC, prep-TLC, column chromatography, flash column chromatography, SEC, counter current chromatography, HPLC & prep-GC are also included in the present review. Structure elucidation by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography are also discussed here.