10.22376/ijpbs.2019.10.1.p1-12 Volume 4 Issue 3 2013 (July - September) The medicinal properties of a plant are attributed to the presence of non-nutritive phytochemicals, the secondary metabolites. The extracts of the dried powder of the pericarp of fruits of lessThan i greaterThan Terminalia chebula lessThan /i greaterThan Retz obtained using petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl alcohol and water in succession were tested along with positive controls and blanks for the presence of tannins, alkaloids steroids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, hydroxy-anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, saponins, and for carbohydrates (glucose and fructose), proteins, amino acids, and fixed oils & fatty acid. The results suggest the presence of diverse active phytochemicals having selective solubility in solvents of varying polarities used in succession. However, the tests for proteins, cardiac glycosides and fixed oils and fats were negative in all the extracts. The use of positive control and blank, a first approach in such studies provided unbiased accuracy in grading the intensity of the reaction. The selective solubility in solvents of varying polarities may probably is responsible in conferring a wide spectrum of biological activities attributed to the fruits of this medicinal plant. In addition the data suggest that the fruits of lessThan i greaterThan T.chebula lessThan /i greaterThan are highly nutritious and could be a source of dietary supplement being rich in carbohydrates and amino acids. The successive extraction using solvents of varying polarities can maximize the exploitation of diverse bioactive compounds. The present information would be of help to isolate and characterize the diverse pharmacologically active principles of importance supporting their varied biological activities, medicinal values and therapeutic usages. ROOPALATHA U C AND VIJAY MALA (GROVER) NAIR Pericarp, Fruits, Terminalia chebula Retz, Phytochemical analysis, Successive extraction 550-559