COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENTS OF Zingiber officinale, Carica papaya and Garcinia kola LEAVES CULTIVATED IN AKWA IBOM STATE, SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

Phytochemical composition of the leaves of Zingiber officinale, Carica papaya, and Garcinia kola were studied. The phytochemical analysis carried out revealed the presence of Tannins, Saponin, Alkaloids, Flavonoids and Cyanogenic glycoside. Tannins content for Zingiber officinale, Carica papaya and Garcinia kola were 2.47±0.0019 mg/100 g, 4.47 ± 0.663 mg/100 g and 0.0046 ± 0.0092 mg/100 g respectively. Saponins content for Zingiber officinale, Carica papaya and Garcinia kola were 7.20 ±0.282%, 2.40 ±0.141% and 1.35 ± 0.353% respectively. Alkaloids content for Zingiber officinale, Carica papaya and Garcinia kola was 5.35 ± 0.212%, 5.35 ± 0.063% and 5.4 ± 0.141% respectively. Flavonoids content for Zingiber officinale, Carica papaya and Garcinia kola were 20.03 ± 0.042%, 16.25 ± 0.353% and 11.45 ± 0.586% respectively. Cyanogenic glycosides content for Zingiber officinale, Carica papaya and Garcinia kola were 2.95 ± 0.05 mg/100 g, 4.51 ± 0.184 mg/100 g and 0.608 ± 0.02 mg/100 g respectively. The concentration of phytochemicals varied with different plant leaves. The presence of tannin in all the three plant leaves indicate that they could be used in the treatment of burns and wounds, while the presence of alkaloid indicate that they can be exploited for the treatment of malaria.