Abstract
The study on Phytochemical screening of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum and Vernonia amygdalina was carried out to determine the compounds present. The result revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroid, tannins, and carotenoid. The best solvent of extraction for both plants recorded was the hot water followed by the cold water even though they were unable to liberate flavonoids from bitter leaf extracts. The washed bitter leaf extracts contained more alkaloids than the extracts made from the unwashed leaf though the differences were not significant (washed bitter leaf- 7.32% from hot water and 6.83% from cold water, unwashed bitter leaf- 6.12% from hot water and 5.32% from cold water). The ethanolic extracts of bitter leaf liberated the flavonoids while the hot water was also able to liberate it from the scent leaf. Carotenoids were liberated from the extracts of both plants though the quantities were not significantly different. The study showed that bitter leaf and scent leaf contain similar antimicrobial compounds but former contains more quantity. It can be concluded that the different solvents of extraction have varying abilities to liberate these compounds and the quantities that each liberated has been ascertained.
Highlights
Phytochemical screening is a process of tracing the medicinal value of plants constituents in some chemical substance that produce a definite physiologic action on the human body (Jigna et al, 2006; [7] Allero and Afolayan, 2006[2])
The screening of unwashed bitter leaf extract, flavonoids and steroids were absent in the hot water extract while it was only the flavonoids that were absent in the cold water extract
The phytochemical compounds present in the extract of washed scent leaf as shown in table 3, steroids and tannins were absent in the ethanolic extract while tannins were absent in the hot water extract
Summary
Phytochemical screening is a process of tracing the medicinal value of plants constituents in some chemical substance that produce a definite physiologic action on the human body (Jigna et al, 2006; [7] Allero and Afolayan, 2006[2]). The leaves of Vernonia amygdalina are green with a characteristic odour and bitter taste It is well known as a medicinal plant for diabetes and fever (Adenuga et al, 2010[1]). Vernonia amygdalina (Del.) commonly called bitter leaf is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Vernonia which has about 1,000 species of shrubs (Muanya, 2015[9]). It is vegetatively propagated by stem cutting at an angle of 450 and popular in most of West Africa countries including Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Congo Democratic Republic. The essential oil possesses antibacterial properties and is an important
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