PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS LEAVES AND ROOTS EXTRACT OF BALANITE AEGYPTIACA (DESERT DATE).

Abstract

ABSTRACT Balanitesaegyptiaca, known as Desert date. Is a spiny shrub or tree up to 10m tall, widely distributed in dry land area of Africa and South Asia it is traditionally used in the treatment of various ailment i.e jaundice, malaria, diarrhea, hermorrhoid, stomach ache, and fever. This study was conducted on phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity of aqueous leaves and roots extract of B.aegyptiaca. The samples was procured, shade dried, and grounded into powdry form before it was used for the analysis. The results of phytochemicals screening which involve both qualitative and quantitative screening revealed the presence of secondry metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, tannins, steroids,anthraquinones and saponin glycosides in the leaves extract.The results also showed the absence of tannins and anthraquinones in the roots extract. The quantitative phytochemicals results showed that there’s significant difference (p<0.05%) in alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins contents of B. aegyptiacaleaves when compare with B. aegyptiaca roots extract. The leaves have the higher contents of Tannins (41.84%) while that of roots extract has the contents of (19.22%), it's applicable to all parameters leaves have the higher contents than roots extract except that of glycosides where leaves contents(0.39%) and that of the roots is (0.41%). The aqueous leaves and roots extract of B. aegyptiaca were screened for antibacterial activity by hole in plate bioassay procedure. The leaves extract were active against the Escherichia coli, salmonella typhyandshigella SPP at concentration ranging from 60 to 120mg/ml. But the roots extract had no activity. Furthermore the results justifies the biochemical basis for ethno pharmacological uses of desert date in the treatment and prevention of various diseases and disorders.