Screening of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in some Herbal Drugs

Objective: Detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) in some polyherbal formulations. Materials and methods: Silica gel TLC with specific spray reagent for PA. Results: None of the herbal formulations tested were positive for PA. Phyllanthus amarus ischolar_mains were found to contain PA. Conclusion: TLC method is recommended for routine detection of PA in plant drugs.