Background: Asparagus racemosus is a climber shrub used in Indian medicine for centuries. It has been used as galactogogue and nerve tonic in folk medicine. The recent research on A. racemosus has revealed its disease fighting properties such as anti-bacterial, immunomodulatory, cardio protective, anti-stress, etc. Phytochemicals present in the plants are associated with their therapeutic capabilities. Hence, phytochemical screening of a therapeutic plant is essential. Materials and Methods: A preliminary qualitative screening of phytoconstituents present in the ethanol and aqueous extract of the plant was done. high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) was used to create a phytochemical fingerprint of the plant extract. Further, a series of antioxidant assays, i.e., 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DDPH) radical, Nitric oxide (NO) radical, Superoxide (SO) radical and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays were done. Results: The phytochemical screening and the HPTLC fingerprint showed the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, glycosides, triterpenoids, saponins etc. They also showed free radical scavenging property and hence can be used as potential primary antioxidant. Conclusion: A preliminary screening created a phytochemical profile of A. racemosus extracts. These phytoconstituents may be linked to the various known therapeutic applications of the plant. This may aid in further extensive studies for identifying and isolating compounds with potential therapeutic value in A. racemosus.

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In the present manuscript, performance studies of Solar Still (SS) were studied for the climatic conditions of Erode, India. Three different experiments were conducted:Conventional SS (CSS), CSS incorporated with blue metal stones, and CSS incorporated with tar-coated blue metal stones. Furthermore, the energy and exergy efficiency of the CSS is evaluated. The daily-distilled yield by incorporating the tarcoated blue metal stones in CSS is 3.21 Kg and blue metal stones in CSS is 2.89 Kg with augmentation of 34.4% and 27%, respectively than the CSS. The distilled water production during daytime (8 a.m.-6 p.m.) from the CSS, CSS incorporated with blue metal stones, and CSS incorporated with tar-coated blue metal stones is 2.02, 2.59, and 2.83 kg, respectively. Similarly distilled water production during nighttime (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) is 0.08, 0.29, and 0.39 kg, respectively. The distilled water production during daytime and nighttime from the CSS incorporated with tar-coated blue metal stones and CSS incorporated with blue metal stones are 28.3%, 22%, 78.6%, and 71.7% higher than the day-time and night-time yield from the CSS. Also, the energy and exergy efficiency of the CSS incorporated with tar-coated blue metal stones and CSS incorporated with blue metal stones is 21.6% and 1.63%, and 20% and 1.4%, respectively.