Medicinal plants have always played a pivotal role as sources for drug lead compounds. Around 50% of pharmaceuticals are derived from compounds first identified or isolated from herbs/plants. Synthesizing drug from natural product needs the knowledge of presence of active groups. Hence identification of bioactive groups of plants is vital for effective drug discovery by pharmaceutical industry. In this context we have undertaken the FTIR study of Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br, (leaf), creeper found in the salty sand of Sea beach, for identifying the active groups and hence 10 active groups were detected. Comparison with various leaf extracts the plant Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) shows a potential use in drug discovery either in the form of raw leaf or any other extract form. The medicinal uses of various bioactive groups detected are also addressed.