Background: Due to their substitution by Ocotea bullata, Cryptocarya latifolia (Lauraceae) populations are quickly diminishing. Numerous plants have died as a result of the excessive and uncontrolled removal of this species’ bark and roots, which might ultimately lead to its extinction in its natural habitat. Materials and techniques: Using solvents of different polarity, the secondary metabolites from C. latifolia’s leaves and fruits were extracted, separated, and identified using spectroscopic methods and column chromatography. Using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test, the antioxidant capacity (free radical scavenging activity) of a few chosen phytocompounds at different doses was assessed. A research on the species’ propagation was also carried out. Findings: α-pyrone (5-hexyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one), a new chemical, and well-known substances quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, β-sitosterol, copaene, and nerolidol were identified from the plant.
The isolated compounds exhibited moderate to good antioxidant activity based on their ability to scavenge radicals. The greatest proportion of shoots (94%) and the longest shoot length (8.06 mm) were generated when explants were treated with BAP:NAA at a dose of 1.0:0.01 mg L-1. Conclusion: In order to manage and conserve this diminishing plant species, our study supports the replacement of bark and roots with leaves and fruits and justifies the plant’s ethnomedical usage. Eating the fruits has two advantages since, for most people, they can help them meet the required dietary limits of the majority of important elements.
