Preliminary Pharmaceutical Active Ingredient and Micronutrient Evaluation of the Leaf of Corchorus olitorius (Ahiahara)

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Pharmaceutically active ingredients and micronutrient evaluation of the leaf of Corchorus olitorius were determined. The phytochemical screening using some standard methods indicated that alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, phenols and tannins were present. The quantitative analysis showed the value of flavonoid as (6.25±0.5)%, Alkaloid (6.3±0.3)%, Saponin (8.01±0.6)%, Phenol (1.16±0.01)% and Tannin (1.03±0.2)%. The HI8300 multiparameter photometer result of the mineral element analysis showed that the leaf has nine out of the ten minerals analyzed for in various concentrations, the result showed that one kg of the leaf contain 0.072 mg of chromium, 15 mg of iron, 4 mg of manganese, 2.4 mg of iodine, 16 mg of phosphorus, 0.1 mg of calcium, 0.88 mg of zinc, 160 mg and 150 mg of magnesium and potassium respectively, while copper was absent. The leaf extract was subjected to different chromatographic techniques which include thin layer and column chromatograph for separation and purification, Antimicrobial screening using disc diffusion method revealed that the column eluates were active against some tested microorganism with the following zone of inhibition, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7- 15 mm), Eschericia coli, (3-18 mm), Shigella species (12-17 mm) Staphylococcus aureus (1-8 mm), Aspergillus nomius (2-4 mm) and Aspergillus flavus (4 mm). The result portrayed that the eluates were highly bactericidal and fungicidal and of broad spectrum activities. The antimicrobial activities were compared with known standard antibiotic like ciprofloxacin and ketoconazole and was discovered that the eluates were potent and effective in both fungi and bacteria close to the antibiotics. The results scientifically validate the efficacy of the plant as acclaimed ethonomedically.