Preliminary evaluation of the Phyto-physicochemical Properties of Leaves of Rauwolfia vomitoria Afzel

Objectives: in nigeria, rauwolfia vomitoria (rv) has been used traditionally for the management of various health malaises including cancer. some studies has also reported its medicinal functions including being anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and be useful for cardiovascular disorders. this study, therefore aimed at investigating the active agents implicated in cancer management through evaluating its phytophysicochemical properties. material and methods: fresh leaves of rv were collected, air-dried and milled to powder form. this powdered form was implored in proximate analisys and elemental screening while the remaining was subjected to crude ethanolic extraction for pharmacognostic studies. proximate investigated were moisture, ash, fat, and crude fibre. the phytochemicals screened included alkaloids, tannins, phlobatannins, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, and cardiac glycosides. results: proximate analysis revealed that moisture content had the highest concentration (6.40%), followed by crude fiber (4.25%). ash content was extremely insignificant (˂0.001%), while fat was not detected (0.00%). elemental quantification revealed that iron was more prevalent in the plant (540.81mg/kg), followed by manganese (31.04mg/kg), zinc was observed to be 29.69mg/kg, chromium; 24.22mg/kg, copper; 8.16mg/kg, nitrogen; 0.35mg/kg. lead, nickel, and cadmium had the same concentration of <0.001mg/kg ranking the lowest among the heavy metals. conclusion: pharmacognostic screening confirmed the absence of tannin and anthraquinone but presence of cardiac glycosides, steroids flavonoids alkaloids, steroids, and terpenoids. the presence of terpenoids and flavonoids may serve as a strong indication of rv being an anti-cancer plant. however, the synergistic effect of these phytochemicals with manganese, zinc, and copper may be responsible for the medicinal potential of rv. this investigation, therefore, validates the folkloric claims attributed to rv as possessing vital medicinal values.