ABSTRACT
Background: Hypertension and Diabetes mellitus have emerged as the leading non-communicable disease worldwide, thus, the increasing need to continuously explore more and better ways of treating these diseases.Objectives: To carry out a survey of plants used in the treatment of hypertension and Diabetes mellitus in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Materials and methods: Interview was conducted among respondents using semi-structured questionnaires and asking open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.Result: A total of 30 respondents comprising of 60.0% male and 40.0% female with the highest distribution of age range at above 50 years old (50.0%) was reported. Forty (40) medicinal plant species belonging to thirty-one (31) plant families were cited with the Apocynaceae family having the highest number of medicinal plants, followed by Asteraceae. For hypertension, 32 plant species were reported of which the most cited were Allium sativum (4) and Ficus asperifolia (2) while for Diabetes mellitus, 20 plant species were mentioned, of which the most cited were Hunteria umbellata (10) and Vernonia amygdalina (9). Of particular interest in this study were the plants that appeared for both hypertension and Diabetes treatment.Conclusion: This survey has helped to increase available medicinal plants knowledge and documentation in the management of hypertension and Diabetes. However, further work on the pharmacological activity of these plants as well as formulation in proper dosage form is recommended
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus/therapy , Hypertension/therapy , Medicine, Traditional , Nigeria , Plants, Medicinal/therapeutic use , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The study were undertaken in order to determine the physico-chemical properties and sensory attribute of oils extracted from the seeds of Moringa oleifera. The oils were extracted from the seeds and analyzed for moisture content, specific gravity, saponification value, refractive index, peroxide value, acid number, iodine value and sensory quality. The fresh oil was also characterized for its sensory attribute using three different foods. The seed oil had the following physical and chemical parameters. The color (yellow), moisture content (2.0%), specific gravity 1.0598 kg/dm3), refractive index (1.465±0.04), acid values (0.67 mg/KOH/g), iodine value (110g/100g), peroxide value (7.0 meq/kg), saponification value (178.10 mg/KOHg), melting point (36.7), Flash point (0c) (162) and rancidity (14.0). Organoleptic scoring show that yam fried with Moringa seed oil had more taste, color, aroma than yam fried with vegetable oil while chicken and egg fried with vegetable oil had higher taste, color, aroma and overall acceptance scoring than chicken and egg fried with Moringa seed oil. The study showed that Moringa seed oil can be used as nutritional oil, industrial raw material and nutraceuticals.
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Aim: Salacia lehmbachii is used in South Eastern Nigeria folk medicine to treat abdominal pain, inflammatory disorders and malaria symptom without scientific documentation. The aim of this study was therefore, to assess possible analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of aqueous root extract of Salacia lehmbachii (ARESL) in albino rats. Place and Duration of Study: The study was done in World Bank Step B Anti-Malaria Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar-Nigeria, between November 2013 and January 2014. Methodology: Analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of ARESL were assessed in Wistar rats at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg. To assess analgesic activity, acetic acidinduced writhing and formalin tests were used. To assess anti-inflammatory property, carrageenan and dextran-induced hind paw edema were used. Differences between group means were compared statistically by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey test as post hoc. Results: In acetic acid-induced writhing test, the extract, at a dose of 400 mg/kg, showed a maximum inhibition (P=.05) of 71.66% of writhing while the standard drug Aspirin inhibited 81.05% of writhing compared to untreated control group. In formalin test, ARESL showed a maximum inhibition (P =.05) of 71.77% at a dose of 400 mg/kg while standard drug Pethidine showed 76.11%. For carrageenan-induced paw edema test, ARESL at a dose of 400 mg/kg showed maximum 85.90% inhibition (P =.05) of inflammatory activity while dextran-induced showed 87.9%. Conclusion: ARESL possesses analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities which corroborate the aqueous extract being used in folk medicine.
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Aim: To investigate diarrhoeagenic activities of aqueous extract of Phragmanthera capitata (AEPC) in albino rats. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria, between October 2013 and January 2014. Methodology: Diarrhoeagenic activities were assessed using three models; enteropooling, gastrointestinal transit and faecal discharge. In each of these models, all rats were overnight fasted with access to drinking water until the start of the experiment. The rats were randomized into 5 groups of 7 rats. Group I (control) received saline (10 ml/kg), Group II (standard) and Groups III-V (test) received AEPC (100, 200, 300 mg/kg respectively) by oral gavage. To assess enteropooling activity, castor oil (1 ml) and magnesium sulfate (10 ml/kg in saline) were used to induce enteropooling in two separate experiments. Group II in both experiments received loperamide (3 mg/kg). Intestinal contents were weighed before and after discharging the contents and recorded. To investigate gastrointestinal transit, 0.25 ml of charcoal meal was administered to the rats with standard group receiving atropine (5 mg/kg i.p.). Distance traveled by charcoal meal was measured and recorded. To assess the rate of faecal discharge, castor oil (1 ml) was used to induce diarrhoea and faeces were collected, weighed and recorded. One way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed followed by Tukey test as post hoc. Results: The results revealed significant (P =.05) reduction in faecal discharge, weight of intestinal contents and distance traveled by charcoal meal. Conclusion: AEPC possesses anti-secretory, anti-electrolyte permeability and hence anti-diarrhoeagenic properties.