Phytochemical screening of five plants frequently proposed by traditional Ivorian pharmacopoeia against diabetes

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants therefore represents an essential solution for the treatment of diabetes in Ivory Coast. Many investigations have been carried out in this direction to highlight the plants proposed against the disease in traditional Ivorian medicine. Five plant species are regularly cited in the treatment of this public health problem. They are: Crescentia cujete (Bignoniaceae), Mikania cordatata (Asteraceae), Nymphaea lotus (Nymphaeacea), Palisota hirsuta (Commelinaceae) and Vernonia colorata (Asteraceae). Ethnomedicinal surveys have indicated that decoctions of the leaves of these different plant species are administered in the treatment of diabetes. This study sought the scientific basis for these empirical uses of plant organs against diabetes. To this end, it conducts a phytochemical screening on the aqueous extracts of each of the five plant species. Tri-phytochemical tests have highlighted the existence of several secondary metabolics in the organs of these plants. These are: sterols, polyterpenes, polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, and saponins. The presence of these chemical groups could justify the use of these plants against diabetes. However, traditional pharmacopoeia, which is very often confronted with dosage problems, must collaborate with modern medicine in the fight against diabetes in Côte d'Ivoire.