Antimicrobial and Antihelmintic Effect of Wonderful Kola (Buchholzia coriacea)

Abstract

In the present study, the antimicrobial and antihelminthic effect of wonderful kola (Buchholzia coriacea) was examined. The kola nut was diced and dried in an air-draught oven. It was then pulverized using hammer mill. The resulting powder was soaked in ethanol and aqueous solutions to obtain the extracts. Wonderful kola was screened for phytochemical properties. Disc diffusion assay method was used to screen for antimicrobial activities of B. coriacea. The test organisms used were obtained from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospitals, Nigeria. It was observed that saponin, flavonoid, carbohydrate, alkaloid were present in wonderful kola examined while other phytochemicals (Oxalate, Diterpenes, Terpenoid, Tanins, Protein, Steroids, Phenols, phlobatannins, Glycoside, Anthraquinones) tested for were absent. Wonderful kola exhibited antifungal and antimicrobial activities on the tested microorganisms. The antihelminthic effect of wonderful kola was also pronounced on the eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides. B. coriacea was found to be more active on the test pathogens than the ethanol and aqueous extracts. It was concluded that over exposure to air, sunlight, too much artificial heat and rapid drying causes a loss of essential oils and B. coriacea possesses an invaluable but yet to be tapped potentials which therefore justifies the traditional usefulness and clinical potentials of Buchholzia coriacea, a medicinal plant commonly used in different parts of the world.