Phytochemical Analysis of Leaf, Stem Bark, and Root Extracts of <i>Cassia abbreviata</i> Grown in Zambia

Abstract

Background : Plants have for a long time been used as medicines to treat ailments. Cassia a bbreviata ( C. abbreviata ) is one of the plants that has been widely use d in the management of a range of ailments, including malaria, diarrhea, and abscesses. Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the phytochemical composition of crude extracts of the roots, leaves, and stem bark of C. abbreviata . Materials and Methods : This was a laboratory-based study in which the fresh leaves, stem bark, and roots of C. abbreviata were collected, thoroughly cleaned, chopped into small pieces, and kept at room temperature until fully dry. The dried plant parts were powdered separately and stored separately in airtight containers for the phytochemical investigation. Ethanol (96% v/v) or distilled water was used for the extraction of components of the coarse powder. The mixtures were separately filtered, and the filtrates were reduced to a concentrated semiso lid mass by drying in a water bath at 40?C. Thereafter, phytochemical analysis for flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, glycosides, carbohydrates, and proteins w as done. Results : The phytochemical analysis of the ethanolic extracts revealed the presence of high concentrations of tannins, reducing sugars, and sterols in the stem bark and roots. Flavonoids, phenolics , and proteins were present in high concentrations in the stem bark, while anthraquinone, glycosides, and alkaloids were present in the leaves and roots, respec tively. Conclusion: C. abbreviata plant contains a wide range of phytochemical constituents. Depending on the solvent used for extraction, various compositions of phytochemicals are obtained in each part of the tree. However, extraction with ethanol showed a better concentration than with water for most of the phytochemicals.