International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 14 (7), pp. 001-005, July, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Review

Evaluating the Safety and Conservation of Medicinal Plants: A Review

K. O. Soetan¹ and O.O. Aiyelaagbe²

¹Department of Veterinary Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
²Department of Chemistry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Accepted 27 April, 2025

The use of medicinal plants as raw materials in the production of new drugs is ever increasing because of their potentials in combating the problem of drug resistance in micro-organisms. Demand for medicinal plants is increasing in both developing and developed countries. Research on medicinal plants is one of the leading areas of research globally. However, there is a need to pay closer attention to the issue of bioactivity-safety evaluation and conservation of medicinal plants. Although some of the screening tests on medicinal plants are performed in vitro, the fact still remains that the ultimate aim of the researcher is to use the medicinal plants to treat diseases in humans and animals, who has to take the product orally or through other means into the system. There is also the need to conserve the medicinal plants to prevent their total extinction from the natural flora. This is because the expanding trade in medicinal plants has serious implications on the survival of several plant species, with many under serious threat to become extinct. The aim of this review is to justify and emphasize the need for the bioactivity-safety evaluation and conservation of the medicinal plants.

Key words: Biosafety, evaluation, conservation, medicinal plants.
 

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 14 (6), pp. 001-0004, June, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Phytochemical Analysis of Anastatica hierochuntica L. and Its Implications for Traditional Medicine

Ihsanullah DAUR

Department of Arid Land Agriculture, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. Box 80208, Jeddah: 21589, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +966-2-6400000. Fax: +966-2-6952364.

Accepted 9 February, 2025

Kaff Maryam (ANASTATICA HIEROCHUNTICA L.) is believed to be very useful in Arab countries for treating various health disorders. The present research highlights the chemical composition and properties of A. HIEROCHUNTICA L. that may be related to its beneficial effect. Eight minerals (Mg, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn), the total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and free radical-scavenging activity were examined in the leaf buds, stem biomass, and root biomass of Kaff Maryam. The plant was found to be a rich source of Mg, Ca, Mn, and phenolic compounds, and had potential antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activities. The findings of the study indicated that the chemical properties of the plant may rationalize its use for the treatment of menstrual cramps, asthma, depression, headache, fatigue, depression, high blood pressure, and infertility problems, and to ease childbirth, as it is used in traditional medicine. Our findings will encourage herbalists to incorporate A. HIEROCHUNTICA L. in the treatment of various disorders, and this herb could be proved useful in the food industry.

Key words: Kaff Maryam (Anastatica hierochuntica L.), minerals, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, free radical-scavenging activity, traditional herbal medicine.
 

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 14 (6), pp. 001-0009, June, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Ethnobotanical Uses and Cultural Significance of Caesalpinia bonduc L. across Different Ethnic Groups in Benin

Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo1, Romain Glèlè Kakaï1, François Houtoutou Adjallala1, Akomian Fortuné Azihou1, Gbèlidji Fifanou Vodouhê1, Tina Kyndt 2* and Jean Thimothée Claude Codjia1

1Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 05 BP 1752 Cotonou, Benin.
2Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University (UGent), Coupure Links 653, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium.

Accepted 1 April, 2025

African communities traditionally use medicinal plants for their primary healthcare. To ensure the sustainable use of these species one of the crucial issues is to document African communities’ indigenous medicinal knowledge. To achieve this goal, the present study evaluated the use frequency and the knowledge of local Beninese communities on the endangered scrambling shrub (Caesalpinia bonduc). Results revealed that local populations use 20 properties from the leaves, roots and seeds of the species to fight against childbirth, to treat burns and for cultural practices like games, weddings and the Fâ ritual. The global credibility level of these properties equalled to 75%, indicating that C. bonduc is perceived as very important for local populations. Roots are more intensively used than leaves and seed respectively. The study clearly showed ethnic and age differences in use value and patterns of the species. For example, Kotafon ethnic group had a fair knowledge on the species while Fon and Bariba ethnic groups hold the lowest number of users.

Key words: Medicinal plant, Caesalpinia bonduc, endangered species, endogenous knowledge, use frequency, Benin.
 

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 14 (6), pp. 001-021, June, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Review

Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review of Chukrasia tabularis A. Juss

Rajbir Kaur and Saroj Arora*

Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar-143005, Punjab, India.

Accepted 11 March, 2025

Chukrasia tabularis A. Juss., commonly known as chickrassy, Burmese almond wood, chittagong wood, lal devdari belongs to the family Meliaceae and is a valuable tree of Asian region. The present review aims to compile the scattered information regarding the chemical constituents, morphological features and medicinal importance of the C. tabularis. The different parts of C. tabularis (leaves, bark, fruits) are having both ethnobotanical and medicinal significance along with biopesticidal activity. The biological activities of plant are due to the abundance of phenolic compounds including different terpenoids and limonoids. During recent years, bioactivities of extracts and pure compounds isolated from C. tabularis have been increasingly investigated. The dire need for such a review arises as the plant is included in the list of threatened species due to its high exploitation for timber utilization.

Key words: Chukrasia tabularis, limonoids, biopesticidal activity, ethnobotanical value, antimalarial activity.
 

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 14 (6), pp. 001-006, June, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Optimizing Water Management for Enhanced Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Corchorus olitorius

J. T. Fasinmirin* and A. A. Olufayo

Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria

Accepted 13 March, 2025

Yield and water use efficiency of Corchorus olitorius was investigated under field conditions using three irrigation water management strategies replicated three times in a typical sandy loamy soil at the teaching and research farm of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. The experiment was performed during the dry season of 1999 and early rainy season of 2000. The biomass yield at maturity (7 WAP) in 1999 was 5.22 t.ha-1 for crop at full irrigation (one pan evaporation, EP), 4.14 t.ha-1 at medium level irrigation (¾ EP) and 1.96 t.ha-1 at low level irrigation (½ EP). The biomass yields in 2000 were 7.27 t.ha-1 (1 EP), 5.89 t.ha-1 (¾ EP) and 3.66 t.ha-1 (½ EP) respectively. The differences in above ground biomass among irrigation treatments were highly significant (P = 0.05). The water use efficiencies for biomass yield at 49 days after planting in 1999 were 0.70 kgm-3 of water at 1 EP, 0.59 kgm -3 of water at ¾ EP, and 0.15 kgm-3 of water at ½ EP; whereas, WUE values in 2000 were 0.58 kgm-3, 0.54 kgm-3 and 0.19 kgm-3 for irrigation treatments 1 EP, ¾ EP and ½ EP respectively. Results showed a significant decrease in water WUE with decreasing water application for biomass production. Higher biomass yield and WUE of C. olitorius can be achieved when the crop is grown at full irrigation (1 EP)

Key words: Irrigation, biomass yield, pan evaporation, water use efficiency (WUE), jute mallow.
 

International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 14 (6), pp. 001-007, June, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of Antioxidative Properties in Leaf Extracts of Labisia pumila, a Traditional Malaysian Herb

Mohamad Norhaiza, Mahmood Maziah* and Mansor Hakiman

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

Accepted 15 March, 2025

A study was undertaken to examine the presence of antioxidative activities of two varieties of Labisia pumila; L. pumila var. Alata and L. pumila var. Pumila using DPPH, FRAP and -carotene bleaching methods. In addition, ascorbic acid, - carotene, anthocyanin, total flavonoid and total phenolic content were also analyzed. In eight methods studied, six of them showed high activities of antioxidant in L. pumila var. Alata compared to that of L. pumila var. Pumila. The results obtained showed that L. pumila var. Alata contained higher antioxidative activities in all three methods applied compared to var. Pumila. In DPPH, FRAP and -carotene bleaching methods, L. pumila var. Alata had high antioxidant activities with 299.84 M trolox/g db, 164.16 M trolox/g db and 89.22%, respectively. The same pattern of antioxidant activities also can be observed in ascorbic acid, -carotene and anthocyanin in L. pumila var. Alata compared to var. Pumila with 0.022, 3.175 and 0.328 mg/g FW, respectively. L. pumila var. Pumila had higher total flavonoid content than L. pumila var. Alata with 1.281 mg/g FW. For total phenolic content, no significant different was observed because the amount of total phenolic content ranging from 2.53 to 2.55 mg/g FW. There is a positive correlation between antioxidant capacities and individual antioxidative compounds in the following order -carotene>flavonoid>vitamin C>total anthocyanins >phenolics.

Keywords: Labisia pumila, antioxidants, -carotene, flavonoid, vitamin C, anthocyanin, phenolics.