Phytochemical, Mineral and Proximate Analysis of Herbal Tea Formulated for Malaria Management

Abstract

The use of herbal tea preparations in the management of malaria infection has led to an increase in the production and research interest in teas. The readily available and cheap plant materials for production has made research efforts to be tailored towards development of different herbal tea preparations. In this study, the herbal tea, specially formulated for management of malaria infection, was subjected to various analysis. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical determination indicated presence of saponin (9.71mg/100g), tannin (46.43mg/100g), phenols (904.01mg/100g), flavonoids (24.56mg/100g) and alkaloid (20.68mg/100g). The mineral component determination indicated that it was rich in Potassium (1.80 ppm), Magnesium (0.328 ppm) and Sodium (24.95ppm). Some heavy metals such as Cadmium (2.80ppm) and Iron (10.21ppm) were also detected. Proximate analysis carried out indicated moisture content (6.58%), Ash (9.23%), Carbohydrate (70.36%), Crude lipids (1.07%), Crude fibre (3.11%) and Crude protein (9.58%). Results shows that all the phytochemicals needed to fight malaria parasite are present in the herbal tea formulation. The mineral contents fall within World Health Organization acceptable level except for Cadmium and Iron.