Evaluation of the Phytochemical, Proximate and Mineral Constituents of Breynia nivosa Leaf

Abstract

Medicinal plants have played a key role in the world health care with about 80% of Africans depending on phytomedicine which has shown a wide range of uses in treatment of diseases. The usage of plants, plant extracts or plant derived pure chemicals to treat diseases in Nigeria has become a therapeutic modality which has stood the test of time. Breynia nivosa which is a shrub seen around the neighbourhood has been reported to be effective in treating headache, toothaches and inflammatory diseases. The extracts are natural analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents and could have therapeutic potentials in management of various chronic diseases. This study evaluated the ethnomedicinal uses of Breynia nivosa by determining the phytochemical, proximate and mineral composition of the plant which could contribute to its effectiveness in the treatment of diseases. The leaf of the plant was evaluated using standard methods. The result showed reasonable quantities of important chemicals such as alkaloid (3.29 ± 0.01), flavonoid (1.51 ± 0.00), oxalate (0.24± 0.02), saponin (0.79 ± 0.00) and cyanogenic glycosides (5.34 ± 0.02). The proximate values obtained include moisture content (9.31 ± 0.01), dry matter (90.65 ± 0.10), ash content (13.46 ± 0.01), crude protein (16.84 ± 0.00), and carbohydrates (47.79 ± 0.01) while the mineral content include calcium (28.42 ± 1.01), magnesium (12.52 ± 0.03) and sodium (13.68 ± 0.03). From the above result, the use of the plant for effective treatment of diseases should not be in question, since it contains appreciable phytochemicals and mineral constituents. It is therefore recommended for use in the formulation of drugs for treatments of diseases.