ANTHOCLEISTA DJALONENSIS

 

ABOUT THE PLANT
There  are many types of plants such as herbs, shrubs, trees whose seeds, roots, barks and flowers are used throughout the globe by humans for many purposes such as for furniture making, book making, explosives, cooking spices, flavour, food and medicine. Medicinal plants are those plants that contain substances known to modern and ancient civilization to have healing properties. The search for newer and effective antimicrobial is a continuous scientific exercise due to the resistance of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses) to currently existing drugs.  Medicinal plants since time immemorial have been used in virtually all culture as a source of medicine. The earliest medicines were extracted from various plants parts. Ancient civilization depends greatly on local flora and fauna for nutrition and health related purposes, experimenting with berries, leaves, herbs and roots to find out what effect they had on humans and animals. As a result some were successful in management of different aliments such as fever, aches, infections, infertility and others. According to world health organization (WHO) approximately 80% of world’s population currently uses herbal medicines in healing different ailment and Among the estimated 400,000 plant species, only 6% have been studied for planned activity guided phyto-pharamacological evaluation of herbal drugs, and it is from these plants that the best source to obtaining variety of drugs lies. Chemical products of plants can be classified into primary and secondary metabolites, primary metabolites are those common to all plant species such as protein, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acid while secondary metabolites are referred to as natural products which are plant chemical constituents that function in the cure. Plant extracts are used against microbial infections due to the presence of these secondary metabolites such as phenols, steroids, alkaloids, saponins and flavonoids. Until the development of chemistry particularly organic synthesis in 19th century, medicinal plants were the only source of active ingredient capable of curing man’s ailments because they contain secondary metabolites, in recent years plants with unknown secondary metabolites and secondary metabolites with unknown pharmacological activities have been extensively investigated as source of medicinal agents because they are believed to be safer, more efficient, inexpensive and superior to that of synthesized compounds.

TAXONOMY OF ANTHOCLEISTA DJALONENSIS
Kingdom: Plantea
Phylum  : Tracheophyta
Class       : Mannoliopsida
Order     : Gentianales
Family    : Loganiaceae
Genus    : Anthocleista
Specie    : Anthocleista djalonensis

PLANT DESCRIPTION
The genus Anthocleista consists of approximately 50 species native mainly of tropical Africa, Madagascar and Mascarene Islands. Nine species are recorded in West Tropical African region and they are used by local practitioners for the same medicinal purpose, out of these nine, five are reported in South Western Nigeria. The plant is about 15m tall and 40cm branches often armed with erect spines above the leaf axils. The leaves are opposite and entire, petiole 1 – 9 cm long, blade oblong – elliptical to oborate elliptical, 9 – 35cm x 5 – 17cm, much longer in young trees, margin entire, apex rounded. Flowers are bisexual, regular, 20 – 32mm  with cylindrical tube, white or creamy in colour. Fruit is like an ellipsoid berry3.5– 5cm, roundednat the apex, thick-walled, dark green, many seeded.                                        


 USES OF ANTHOCLEISTA DJALONENSIS
Anthocleista djalonensis is widely used throughout its distribution area as a strong purgative and diuretic. The root is commonly used to treat intestinal problems, including constipation, to regulate menstruation, and as an abortifacient. The root maceration is taken alone or with honey to treat malaria. Combined with potash, the root is taken to treat fungal skin infections and filarial worm infections, including loa loa filariasis. A root decoction is also taken to treat hernia of the groin. Applied externally, it is used as a wash or bath, or as a vapour bath, to treat a range of conditions including leprosy; venereal diseases; acute inflammations; boils on the skin; oedema and scrotal elephantiasis. A tea made from the chopped soft root bark, soaked in water, is taken to treat thrush. An infusion of the bark is used to treat broken bones in women. An extract of twig bark is used as eye drops and to treat diarrhea in babies. Powdered stem bark, mixed with the roots of Aloe buettneri is taken to treat hepatitis, jaundice and cirrhosis. A tincture of the leaves is taken to treat diarrhea and dysentery. A decoction of dry, fallen leaves is drunk to treat jaundice. The bark contains the quinoline alkaloid brucine and the monoterpene glycoside loganoside (loganine). Brucine is a strychnine derivative. In chemistry, brucine and strychnine are commonly used as agents for chiral resolution. Loganoside plays an important role in the partial synthesis of alkaloids such as quinine, reserpine and strychnine .