hi,

for the water extract, the best solvents for tlc are non polar solvents. before that, please screen the extract for the chemical compounds nature. it will better helpful in deciding the solvent system. i.e. like glycosides, alkaloids etc. 

all the best

Good day

It is best to know the chemical structure of the active constituents that extracted from the leaves, then look for the solvent systems for the compounds that have the same, or similar chemical structures.

Follow J B Harborne....Phytochemistry 

I see some potentially contradictory information. I read that the leaves were extracted in water, it seems odd there would be compounds with a high Rf in hexane/ethyl acetate solvent systems since compounds extracted in water are typically quite polar. However, it is also very possible to have water soluble compounds run in hexane/ethyl acetate (catechol and resorcinol being some examples). Make sure that the TLC are run in a container with a close-fitting lid (not a beaker with a watch glass on top) and the solvents have equilibrated in the chamber. My experience is that not running TLC plates in this fashion create an artificially high Rf. Since the compounds were extracted in water, they are fairly polar and the hexane/ethyl acetate mixture can be adjusted to get a good Rf.

For the DCM/Methanol TLC, try adding a little formic or acetic acid, or a little triethyl amine to the mixture. The streaking is probably because the pKa of the compounds is similar to that of the solvent or silica on the TLC plate.