Phytochemistry, Proximate Analysis and Acute Toxicity Study of Ethanolic Moringa Oleifera Root Bark Extract.

Abstract

Moringa Oleifera is a fast growing deciduous tree with its different plant parts commonly used in herbal medicine, also with good socio-economic and industrial values. The ethanolic extract of M.Oleifera root bark is shown to be rich in nutrients, owing to the presence of essential phytochemicals in the root bark. The phytochemicals or secondary metabolites of the ethanolic extract of the root bark were screened and identified. Also, acute toxicity study of the ethanolic extract of the root bark was carriedout in Albino Rats according to Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACU) guidelines. The fresh M.Oleifera root was harvested at the inception of the rainy season at Pil Gani District of Langtang North LGA and excess soil washed off as the root bark was properly peeled, air dried, pulverized to powdered form and stored for subsequent use. Serial extractions using water, acetone, ethanol, and ethyl acetate were carriedout by Simple Maceration. The ethanolic extract was seen to have the best yield of the phytochemicals qualitatively identified as tannins, saponins, carbohydrates, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, terpenes, cardiac glycosides and anthraquinones. Acute toxicity test was determined by Lorke’s method and the LD50 was shown to be at the highest limit dose of 5000mg/kg, which signifies that the extract is non toxic at such single dosage. The ethanolic M.Oleifera root bark extract contains nutritive phytochemicals with vast medicinal uses. No sign of acute toxicity was observed on oral administration as the median lethal dose was shown to be safe at the highest limit single dose of 5000mg/kg.