@article {1315, title = {Physicochemical, Phytochemical, Heavy Metal and Microbiological Analysis of Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {12}, year = {2020}, month = {November 2020}, pages = {1541-1546}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {1541}, abstract = {

Background: Moringa oleifera leaves is one of the highly patronized herbs on the Ghanaian market. It is used for the treatment and prevention of several diseases. It is imperative that available and effective methods can be utilized to assess the quality of samples before being consumed. Objective: A study of the leaves was conducted to ascertain its physicochemical, phytochemical, heavy metal and microbiological content to develop a simple but acceptable criteria which could be useful in ensuring the quality of this crude drug. Materials and Methods: The qualitative and quantitative morphological features, physicochemical, phytochemical, microbial load and flouresent features of the leaves of M. oleifera were evaluated. Results: M. oleifera leaves were found to be glaborous with opposite leaflet, leaflet tripinnate, with a micronate apex and possessing an entire margin. Microscopy showed vein islets, rosette calcium oxalate crystals, polygonal epidermal cells and unicellular trichomes. The 50 \% ethanol soluble extractives of M. oleifera were highest, followed by the water and petroleum ether. Tannins, alkaloids, gylcosides, phenols, flavonoids, phenols, gums, and mucilage were present. Conclusion: The documented pharmacognostic features may be used as part of daily protocols to correctly identify and determine the quality of the the crude plant. The preliminary phytochemical, heavy metal and microbiological limits can be further used to ascertain the quality of raw materials of M. oleifera before they are used.

}, keywords = {Fluorescence, Heavy metal, Microbiological, Pharmacognostic, Physicochemical}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2020.12.211}, author = {Emelia Oppong Bekoe and Yakubu Jibira and Gladys Amponsah Agyei} } @article {1283, title = {A Study on Phyllanthus amarus; Pharmacognostic, Mycobactericidal and Mutagenic Properties}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {12}, year = {2020}, month = {November 2020}, pages = {1732-1739}, type = {Research Article}, chapter = {1732}, abstract = {

Background: Phyllanthus amarus is a medicinal plant used in the treatment of various ailments which include gonorrhoea, jaundice, diabetes, kidney diseases, bladder and intestinal infections, influenza, measles, viral infections, and tuberculosis. Tuberculosis treatment is faced with many challenges, resulting in a prolonged treatment regimen and potential treatment failure. There is a need to search for more favourable treatment options. Objective: This study aimed at investigating the pharmacognostic and mycobactericidal properties of P. amarus. Since toxicity could also be an issue, the mutagenic activity of this plant was also assessed. Materials and Methods: The macroscopic, microscopic, and physicochemical characteristics were assessed with reference to the Quality Control Methods for Herbal Material WHO (2011). The mycobactericidal activity was determined by the agar diffusion and broth dilution methods, while mutagenicity was investigated by the Ames test. Results: P. amarus contained tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins and steroids. The 50\% ethanol extract exhibited activity against M. smegmatis at 100 mg/mL with an inhibitory zone of 2.0 cm. P. amarus had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 50 mg/mL while that of rifampin was 0.1 μg/mL. P. amarus showed weak mutagenicity at a concentration of 10 μg/mL. Conclusion: The documented pharmacognostic characteristics can be used for quality control of the crude plant material. The mycobactericidal activity also affirmed its folkloric use in the treatment of tuberculosis. The mycobactericidal activity can be further exploited for drug development.

}, keywords = {Fluorescence, Mutagenic activity, P. amarus, Pharmacognostic, Tuberculosis}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2020.12.235}, author = {Emelia Oppong Bekoe and Cindy Kitcher and Philip Debrah and Patrick Amoateng and Paul Owusu Donkor and Sarfoa Martinson} }