SHARAIBI OLUBUNMI JOSEPHINE

Botany

At the Botany department office

Appointment on Visitation important

Topic: Checklist Of Medicinal Plants Used By Traditional Women For Maternal Healthcare In Lagos State, Nigeria.

Description: Introduction.Maternal healthcare is the well-being of women during pregnancy, labour, delivery, childbirth and postpartum period. Maternal healthcare is an important aspect of primary health care in Nigeria. Poor maternal healthcare is associated with low birth weight weight, high maternal mortality rate, high maternal morbidity, depression and postpartum disorder. Traditional women in Nigeria has been using medicinal plants for maternal healthcare since time immemorial. However, there is no proper documentation of these plants as information are passed orally from generation to generation. This study therefore, aimed at identifying and documenting medicinal plants used for maternal health care in Lagos State, Nigeria.MethodologyEthnobotanical studies were carried out in six local government areas in Lagos State namely: Agege, Alimosho, Badagry, Ejigbo, Mushin and Ojo. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to obtain information from 300 respondents, 50 from each local government. The interview was conducted in Yoruba for proper understanding and coordination.Results:One hundred 100 medicinal plants belonging to thirty 30 families were identified from the study area. Most of the reported plants belong to the family Fabaceae 22.5% followed by Asteraceae 7.21 % , Malvaceae 5.41% and Anarcadiaceae 4.5% . The frequently mentioned plants were Kigelia africana, Caliandra portoricensis and Securidata longepedunculata.Conclusion: The indigenous knowledge system for medicinal healthcare in Lagos was established through this study by identifying and documenting the medicinal plants.

#	Certificate	School	Year
1.	Ph.D (Botany/Ethnobotany)	Department of Botany, University of Lagos, Nigeria	2015

Effects of Extraction Solvents on the Yields, Phytochemical Constituents and Antioxidant Activities of Bryophyllum pinnatum and Cocos nucifera.

IntroductionThe traditional African medical system relies heavily on medicinal plants, the oldest and most diverse form of treatment.Bryophyllum pinnatum commonly called miracle leaf belongs to the family Crassulaceae and is one of the effective medicinal plants used in the treatment of diuresis, diabetes, kidney stones, respiratory tract infections, boils, wounds and insect bites.Cocos nucifera of the family Arecaceae is also known as coconut. It is used in traditional medicine to relieve muscular pains, treat urinary tract infections, arthritis and skin infections.Examining the effects of various solvents on the extraction yields, phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activities of the leaf extracts of B. pinnatum and C. nucifera was the aim of this study.Methodology.Phytochemical screenings of the acetone and ethanol leaf extracts of B. pinnatum and C. nucifera were carried out using the laboratory procedures of Trease and Evans 2002 and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry analysis.The antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated using ABTS, DPPH, nitric oxide and super oxide radical scavenging assays.Results.It was observed that the extraction yields, phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activities were significantly influenced by the solvents utilized. For both plants extracts, ethanol was shown to be the most efficient extraction solvent, producing the higher extraction yields. However, acetone plants extracts contained the highest concentration of phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids and steroids. When compared with ethanol extract, acetone extracts of the two plants showed exceptional antioxidant activities.Contribution to Knowledge.This study showed that extraction solvents can interfere with the yields and biological activities of the plant extracts.

SHARAIBI OLUBUNMI is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Botany

SHARAIBI has a Ph.D in Botany/Ethnobotany from Department of Botany, University of Lagos, Nigeria