Daun asam jawa (Tamarindus indica) secara tradisional digunakan untuk berbagai penyakit, seperti : konstipasi, dyspepsia, dan infeksi saluran cerna. Daun asam dipaorkan memiliki aktivtas antibakteri dan antidiabetes. Untuk menjamin mutu dan keamanan, perlu dilakukan penentuan parameter kualitas yang meliputi parameter spesifik dan non-spesifik. Sampel daun dikumpulkan dari tiga daerah. Serbuk sampel dimaserasi dengan etanol. Parameter kualitas ekstrak meliputi kadar air, bahan terlarut alkohol, bahan terlarut air, susut pengeringan, kadar abu total, abu tidak larut asam, sisa pelarut dan kadar logam berat. Identifikasi fitokimia menunjukkan adanya flavonoid, tannin, glikosida dan saponin. Profil kromatogram menggunakan eluen kloroform-metanol-air (80:12:2) memperlihatkan 4 bercak, setelah disemprot dengan besi (III) klorida. Kadar total fenol sebagai marker ditentukan secara spektrofotometri menggunakan reagen Folin-Ciocalteu diperoleh 0,35-8,24% fenol total dihitung sebagai asam galat.
Leaves of tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) has been traditionally used to treat some diseases such as: constipation, dyspepsia, flatulence and urinary tract infection. The leaves extract also reported has antibacterial and antidiabetic activities. It is essential to determine its specific and non specific parameters in assesing the quality and safety. The samples collected from three different perferctures. Grounded samples were macerated with ethanol. The extracts were subjected to determine its characteristic parameters. Parameter of quality for the extracts consisted of water content, ethanol-extractive, water-extractive, loss on drying, total ash, acid-insoluble ash, solvent residue and heavy metal content. Phytochemical identification showed that the extract contains flanovoid, tannin, glycosides, and saponin. TLC chromatogram using chloroform-methanol-water (80:12:2) as mobile phase, exhibited 4 spots after sprayed with iron(III) chloride. Total phenolic was determined spectrophotometrically using Folin Ciocalteu reagent, gave 0.35-8.24% total phenolic as gallic acid.
