Extraction, phytochemical screening, chemical quantification and identification of bioactive compounds from Lebanese Urtica dioica

Plants are widely used by people in traditional and modern medicine all over the world. In fact, all of their remedies can be used safely and without the side effects of drugs. Phytochemical analysis of medicinal plants has revealed that numerous bioactive compounds in plants traditionally used for medicinal purposes have many therapeutically properties. Hence in the present study, a general chemical identification of a Lebanese medicinal plant Urtica dioica was carried out. The results obtained validate the traditional uses of nettle, and showed that this plant possesses an important pharmaceutical value and leads to the isolation and characterization of three compounds from hexane extract. Structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectral methods [FTIR, GC-MS, 1H NMR] after column chromatography on silica gel.