Table 1.

 Phytochemical screening methods

Phytochemical	Methodology used
Alkaloids	A few drops of dilute HCL and 0.5 mL Wagner's reagent were added. A brown flocculent precipitate indicated the presence of alkaloid (18).
Anthraquinones	The plant extracts were given a few drops of 2% HCl. The generation of red precipitate revealed the presence of anthraquinones in the samples (19), while another test procedure (20) using a 10% ammonia solution pointed to the presence of anthraquinones in the samples. The presence of anthraquinones was illustrated by the production of a red tint.
Coumarins	One ml of a 10% NaOH solution was added to one ml of plant material. The presence of coumarins in the examined samples was confirmed by the production of a yellow color (19).
Flavonoids	1 g powder + 10 ml ethyl acetate was heated for 5 min over a steam bath (40ºC-50°C), filtrate+1 ml dilute ammonia. A positive test was indicated by yellow coloration (20).
Saponins	The extract was briskly agitated after boiling 1 g powdered in 10 ml distilled water for 15 min to record froth formation (19).
Sterols/ Terpenes	The test of Liebermann-Büchard: An aliquot of the extract was diluted in 1 ml of acetic anhydride in a test tube. Thereafter, 0.5 ml of concentrated H2SO4 was slowly poured on the walls of the tube. A positive reaction is indicated by the emergence of a purple tint changing blue to green (18).
Tannins	FeCl3 test: 0.5 g powdered was heated in 20 ml distilled water with three drops of 5% FeCl3 for a few minutes. A favorable sign was the emergence of a blue-black or brownish green color (20).