An inventory of medicinal plants used as sedative, analgesic and blood tonic in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This research was aimed to document the ethnobotanical information of plants used as sedatives, analgesic and blood tonic in Abeokuta, Nigeria and to evaluate the phytochemical, mineral and anti-nutrient contents in some of these plants. A total of 60 structured and validated questionnaires were administered using purposive sampling method. The names of plants were further authenticated using the plant list (www.theplantlist.org) and the world flora (www.worldfloraonline.org). Twenty-eight (28) plants belonging to Twenty-one (21) families were documented as being used as sedatives, analgesic and blood tonic. The most frequently mentioned were Theobroma cacao, Morinda lucida, Sorghum bicolor, Alstonia congensis, Harungana madagascariensis and Viscum album. Parts of the plants mentioned by respondents were leaves (78.3%), stem bark (18.3%), roots (3.3%). T. cacao contained highest amount of sodium (18.69 mg/100 g). Potassium (73.35 mg/100 g), Calcium (40.20 mg/100 g), Phosphorus (11.80 mg/100 g) and Magnesium (4.59 mg/100 g) were significantly higher in the leaves of Alstonia congensis. Oxalate (0.28 mg/100 g), Phytate (0.36 mg/100 g) and trypsin inhibitor (0.17 mg/100 g) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in leaves of T. cacao. Cyanogenic glycosides were also higher in the leaves of Morinda lucida (0.26 mg/100 g). Highest alkaloid content (9.80 mg/100 g) was recorded in T. cacao. Morinda lucida contained highest amount of saponin (0.42 mg/100 g), tannin (0.32 mg/100 g) and steroid (0.25 mg/100 g) while the highest amount of flavonoid was recorded in Alstonia congensis. The immense benefits derived from the mineral composition, anti-nutrient content and phytochemical composition of these plants have made them highly useful in herbal medicine for treating various illnesses.