Abstract:
Caesalpinia decapetala is a wild plant found in the Sub-Himalayan tract and planted in hedges throughout in
India. The bark of Caesalpinia decapetala is a rich source of tannins. It has been used in treatment of jaundice,
stomach disorders and biliousness. The leaves and root are used as purgative and emmenagogue. The process
described in this paper outline the extraction of gallic acid from Caesalpinia decapetala which is used as
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Optimization of various solvent extraction parameters was performed to
assess maximum yield of gallic acid from Caesalpinia decapetala wood. The extraction parameters optimized
are solvent, temperature and time for extraction. Optimization was carried out by performing different sets of
experiments. The most suitable conditions for extraction of gallic acid were found to be extraction at
temperature (65-70o C), extraction time 48 hours and solvent composition Ethanol: Water (70:30). At these
optimum extraction parameters the maximum yield of gallic acid obtained is 17.85%
