<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: HI" lang="EN-GB">Comparative study of leaves of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Ficus pomifera </i>Wall., <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Ficus hispida</i> Linn. and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Ficus religiosa</i> Linn<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">.</i> for the biochemical contents, minerals and trace elements</span>

Abstract

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-gb;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-GB">Three species of the genus <i>Ficus</i> Linn., viz. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">F. pomifera</i> Wall.,<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">F. hispida</i> Linn.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </b>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">F. religiosa</i> Linn. (Family-Moraceae) were studied for their trace elements, minerals, nutritive and antinutritionals contents which are in turn related to their medicinal properties. These plants have potential medicinal values, for example for their antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. The properties were studied in this research work by estimating the orthohydric phenols, tannic acid, ash content and trace elements. The leaves of these plants were subjected to various sample preparations for estimation of specific compounds and trace elements. In this work, comparative studies of the nutritive values and the trace elements present in the leaves of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">F. pomifera,</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">F. hispida </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">F. religiosa</i> plants have been studied. The disease resistivity properties could be determined from the tannic acid contents which were in appreciable amount. The leaves of these plants have high antioxidant activities from their total phenolic contents which were proved in case of many plants in the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Ficus</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic"> e.g. in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">F. pomifera</i>. The minerals, calcium and potassium were found in high quantity. The quantities of trace elements were under the international permissible elements.</span></span>