Pharmacognostic, Physicochemical, Phytochemical evaluation and Thin layer chromatography of Ocimum basilicum leaves

O. basilicum is a annual herb commonly referred to sweet basil and used in various traditional systems, is a member of the Lamiaceae family. The objective of this study is to gain comprehensive pharmacognostic, physicochemical characteristics, and phytochemical analysis of the leaves. The pharmacognostic criteria were assessed, including macroscopic and microscopic evaluations, transverse sections of the leaf, powder microscopy, fluorescence analysis, and physicochemical properties (Total Ash 14.60%, acid-insoluble ash 4.15%), water-soluble ash 3.27%; alcohol-soluble extractive value 2.4%; water-soluble extractive value 1.6%; moisture content 13%. Phytochemical screening of ethanolic leaf extracts indicates the presence of flavonoids, saponins, phenolic, tannins, and cardiac glycosides. The Rf values determined were 0.60, 0.68, and 0.72. The standardized parameters for pharmacognostics, physicochemical parameters, phytochemical properties, total phenolic content, total flavonoids content, and chromatographic analyses of O. basilicum leaves are revealed in this work.