PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS FOUND IN KAPTUMO DIVISION IN NANDI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Medicinal plants are widely used by the traditional healers to prevent or treat various human diseases since time immemorial due to the chemical substances found in them. The phytochemical constituents of most of these plants has not been determined hence the present study conducted at Kaptumo Division in Nandi County seeks to profile the phytochemicals found in medicinal plants namely: Kigelia africana (Lam.) and Benth, Ekebergia capensis Sparrm and Fagaropsis angolensis (Engl.) Dale that are commonly used to treat infectious diseases. The objective of the research is to determine the phytochemicals present in the three medicinal plants that are commonly used to treat infectious diseases. Fresh plants were collected from the field and air dried under shade at 25oC and later ground into powder and extracted using acetone and water. Phytochemicals from the extracts were profiled using thin layer chromatography method. All the plant extracts indicated presence of phenols, terpenoids and flavonoids. Saponins were absent in Fagaropsis angolensis. This study demonstrated support for the claimed uses of the plants in the traditional medicine probably due to the phytochemicals present. This asserts the need for further investigations using fractionated extracts and purified chemical components.