ABSTRACT:
Ziziphus spina-christi (Sidr) leaves are widely used in traditional hair and scalp care, and their proposed cleansing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects make them attractive candidates for herbal cosmetic formulations. This study aimed to comprehensively screen and quantify major phytochemical classes in Z. spina-christi leaf extract and to appraise its free radical scavenging potential to support suitability for incorporation into herbal shampoo. Fresh leaves were collected, washed, shade-dried, pulverized, and extracted by Soxhlet using 70% ethanol (15 g plant material; 250 mL solvent; 8 h reflux), followed by solvent removal under reduced pressure. Qualitative phytochemical profiling employed standard colorimetric/precipitation assays for carbohydrates (Molisch, Fehling, Benedict, Barfoed), alkaloids (Dragendorff, Mayer, Wagner, Hager, tannic acid), glycosides (Borntrager/modified Borntrager for anthraquinones; foam/froth for saponins; Liebermann–Burchard/Salkowski for steroids–triterpenoids; Keller–Kiliani/Legal/Baljet for cardiac glycosides), flavonoids (Shinoda, ammonia, vanillin-HCl), and tannins/phenolics (ferric chloride, gelatin, lead acetate, vanillin-HCl). Carbohydrates (including reducing sugars and monosaccharides), alkaloids, saponins, steroids/triterpenoids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenolics, and tannins (including condensed tannins) were detected, whereas anthraquinone glycosides were absent. Quantification (triplicates) indicated substantial bioactive content: total saponins 694.8 µg/mL diosgenin equivalents (absorbance 0.346; y = 0.0005x − 0.0014; R² = 0.9893), total phenolics 234.67 µg/mL gallic acid equivalents (absorbance 0.228; y = 0.0009x + 0.0168; R² = 0.9936), and total flavonoids 226.0 µg/mL quercetin equivalents (absorbance 0.704; y = 0.0031x + 0.0034; R² = 0.9926). Collectively, the phytochemical profile—particularly the high saponin level alongside appreciable phenolic and flavonoid fractions—supports the functional rationale for Z. spina-christi as a natural surfactant source with antioxidant-relevant constituents for herbal shampoo development.