Transcript ethnobotanical survey,phytochemical analysis,bioassay and

PHYTOCHEMICAL
CONSTITUENTS OF SOME
MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY
THE NANDI PEOPLE OF KENYA
Jeruto Pascaline *, Mutai Charles^ and Ouma George*^
*Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), P.O Box 249 Kitale,
Kenya; ^Center for Traditional Medicine and Drug Research, Kenya Medical
Research Institute, P.O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya; *^Department of
Botany and Horticulture,Maseno University, P.O. Box 333, Maseno, Kenya
BACKGROUND

Plants useful - food, shelter, clothing, fuel, medicine, crafts,
cosmetics, income & employment, Herbal products- spices,
tisane, medicinal raw materials, aromatics plants, functional
food ingredients, essential oils, flavourings, fragrance
products, dietary supplements and ecological balance.
 Medicinal value- depends on chemical substance; produces
definite physiological effect on the body
 Bioactive compounds: alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, phenolics
etc.
 Natural products research- not yet exhausted (10% plants
investigated).
 Phytochemical test- patentable & industrially exploitable cpds:
drug development.
Materials and methods
Field survey
Herbarium specimens were collected using standard
herbarium techniques, identified at University of
Nairobi and confirmed at National Museums of
Kenya.

Authentic specimens deposited at the Botanic garden,
Maseno university herbarium for future reference.
PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING
PLANT COLLECTION
 Plants for screening selected based on their high
information consensus
 Plant parts were collected and treated according
to Harborne (1973).
PLANT EXTRACTION
 They were extracted sequentially using
chloroform , methanol then water (Harborne,
1973).
 The extracts were run on TLC plates.
 Active compounds were observed after applying
spraying reagents.
Phytochemical analysis.
1. Crude extract quality
 T. asiatica and C. edulis –highest crude extract both
in chloroform and methanol solvent.
 C. abbysinica and S. princeae had the lowest yield
 T. asiastica and C. edulis – High root crude extracts
(chloroform & methanol)
 Water extracts – C. abbyssinica leaves and E.
cymosia roots had highest yield
Quantity of plant root crude extracts
Plant species
Asparagus
racemosus
Clutia abbysinica
C. myricoides
Ehretia cymosia
Leucas calostachys
Toddalia asiatica
Rubia cordifolia
Spermacoce princeae
Carrisa edulis
Ajuga remota
Chloroform Methanol
extracts (g) extracts (g)
Water extracts (g)
0.0447
0.7885
1.2326
0.3220
0.2597
0.0763
0.0704
6.8395
0.1150
0.0688
6.1295
-
0.3289
0.8991
1.3914
0.7069
6.1727
1.7467
0.4458
2.0776
-
1.2535
1.1987
1.7295
1.1788
1.2456
1.2521
1.1145
1.2242
-
Quantity of plant leaves crude extracts
Plant species
Asparagus racemosus
Clutia abbysinica
Clerodendrum
myricoides
Ehretia cymosia
Leucas calostachys
Toddalia asiatica
Rubia cordifolia
Spermacoce princeae
Carrisa edulis
Ajuga remota
Methanol
Chlorofor extracts (g)
m extracts
(g)
Water extracts (g)
0.1374
0.2564
0.1509
0.9638
1.1825
0.6285
3.5796
5.1498
3.3193
0.1614
0.0863
0.1639
0.1325
0.1510
6.2834
0.3742
0.4621
0.5166
1.0865
0.6692
7.426
2.2245
2.5643
2.1454
2.3123
2.4781
2.1456
Chemical compounds analysis
 Alkaloids
and terpernoids occurred in
all the cloroform extracts
 Phenolics occurred in all methanolic
extracts except Ajuga remota.
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Qualitative analysis of the phytochemicals of the medicinal roots
(a)
(b)
Chloroform extracts
Plant species
Alk
aloi
ds
A. racemosus
C.abbysinica
C.myricoides
E. cymosia
L. calostachys
T. asiatica
R. cordifolia
S. princeae
C. edulis
A. remota
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Methanol extracts
Sap
onin
s
Ant
hraq
uino
nes
Glyc
osid
es
Phen
olics
)
gene
ral
Terp
enoi
ds
Flav
onoi
ds
Alka
loids
Sap
onin
s
Ant
hraq
uino
nes
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
Glyc
osid
es
Phen
olics)
gener
al
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
Key: + = Presences of constituents; - = Absence of constituents
Terp
enoi
ds
Flav
onoi
ds
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
Conclusion

Presence of phenolic compounds in Ajuga remota
validates its medicinal use by the Nandi practitioners.
 The plants studied are potential sources of useful
drugs.
 Further studies recommended - to isolate, identify,
characterize and elucidate the structure of the
bioactive compounds.
 Antimalarial activities of these plants for the
treatments of the diseases as claimed by traditional
healers - investigated.
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Acknowledgement

People of Nandi for sharing the indigenous
knowledge.
 Co-authors for teamwork in writing the paper.
 Staff – NMK, UoN, Maseno University.
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION