Chemical composition of essential oils from the stem barks of Croton conduplicatus (Euphorbiaceae) native to the Caatinga biome

Abstract

Ethnobotanical survey was conducted on anticancer plants in Askira/Uba local government area of Borno State, Nigeria. Administration of questionnaires and oral interviews to 20 traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) and field trip were carried out in the study area. A total of 65 different plants belonging to 41 families were identified during the survey. Six plants belong to the Caesalpinioideae, 5 from Fabaceae, 4 each from Mimosoideae and Euphorbiaceae and 3 from Burseraceae. The most frequently implicated plants as anticancer among respondents were Securidaca longepedunculata (Polygalaceae), Andira inermis ssp. rooseveltii (Fabaceae), Pterocarpus erinaceus (Fabaceae), Carissa edulis (Apocynaceae), Detarium microcarpum (Caesalpinioideae) and Cassia sieberiana (Caesalpinioideae). These 65 plants should be investigated scientifically to ascertain their acclaimed anticancer properties with the view to develop new drugs.