Isolation and characterization of 2, 4- dihydroxycinnamic acid from the stem bark of Adina microcephala Delile

Adina microcephala which belongs to the family Rubiaceae is widely distributed in Africa. It is used in African traditional medicine for the treatment of diarrhoea and other stomach or digestive tract problems. A microcephala stem bark was collected, identified, dried and pulverized. The pulverized plant material was subjected to Soxhlet extraction using petroleum ether (60-80°C), chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The ethyl acetate extract was subjected to further purification by chromatographic techniques to yield a compound labeled R1 which was then fully characterized as 2, 4dihydroxycinnamic acid using IR, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques.