LAUSR

Graphical abstract Figure. No Caption available. HighlightsSeveral different compounds were described for the first time in leaves of Croton cajucara.Liquid/liquid partitioning was able to separate compounds by polarity, enabling their analysis.A thorough investigation by mass spectrometry allowed identification of many unreported compounds.All fractions originating from liquid/liquid partitioning presented anti‐inflammatory activity. Abstract Croton cajucara Benth. is a medicinal plant popularly used in the Brazilian Amazonia, where it is known as sacaca, being consumed as tea, decoction or infusion of the leaves and stem bark. From a decoction of the leaves, a comprehensive phytochemical analysis was developed by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry. Many compounds were identified for the first time in C. cajucara, such as O‐glycosides of kaempferol and quercetin, flavonoid‐C‐glycosides, tannins and cinnamic acid derivatives. These compounds were fractionated by polarity and assayed for their anti‐inflammatory activity, using a model of mice edema, induced by an intraplantar injection of carrageenan. All fractions exhibited anti‐inflammatory properties.