1.2 GENERAL
BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
From
the origin of plants when man mandate of dominion, certain plants especially
herbs have been eaten/used to heal injuries and cure diseases and sicknesses.
In recent years partly following high lost of modern drugs, usage of medicinal
plants has increased and researchers in the field have spread out helping to
explain some curative phenomena involving rural herbal remedies.
According to Heywood (1978) enormous progress has
been
made in medicine and chemotherapy by the introduction of new plant based drugs.
These drugs are prepared from different parts of the plants such as roots,
barks, leaves and floral parts which are believed to contain the active
ingredients. These ingredients are the “Active principles” that effect the
healing of characteristic diseases.
In many developing countries, as the elements of
facts what the bible quoted on plant can never be forgotten.
The plant use caused to grow for cattle and
vegetation for
the
service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth. (Psalms 104:14) These
formed the birthday of botanical and Agricultural Sciences.
These plants used in traditional medicine contain chemicals
like alkaloids, tannins, phenols, glycosides, resins, saponins, flavonoids, procynidin,
vitamins, fixed essential oils and new tricyclic diterpenoid just identified.
Several medicinal plant of Africa have been
investigated for their chemical components and some of the isolated compounds,
have been shown to possess interesting biological activity evaluation (Oliver-Berer,
1983), through the isolation of the principal phytochemicals responsible for
the therapeutic action.
Furthermore, greater importance is now being
attached to the use of locally available medicines as a means of reducing
reliance on expensive important drugs. The study drugs began in crude plant
materials and the botanical description including genus, species and authority.
This however, progressed until new pharmacognosy is an essential branch of
medicine.
The medicinal plants are made to be orally taken
by the patient or applied externally or used as a hot bath. In other hand,
small whole animals or parts of animals are added to make different concoctions.
Another vital review was that plants in
different geological or ecological regions of the world could contain varying
degrees of active principles not minding that they could be of the same genera.
Such differences could be attributed to difference in climate, soil or other
ecological condition. From these indications, collection of medicinal plants
should start immediately both at international and national levels.