Phytochemical Composition of Aqueous and Ethanolic Leaf Extracts of Piper guineense, Cassia alata, Tagetes erecta and Ocimum graticimum

Abstract

Phytochemicals are biologically active naturally occurring chemicals produced by plants to help them thrive or thwart competitors or pathogenic organisms. The phytochemical experiment revealed varying degrees of flavonoid, alkaloid, saponin, tanin and phenol as naturally occurring bioactive chemicals of water and ethanol leaf extracts of Piper guineense, Cassia alata, Tagetes erecta and Ocimum graticimum. T. erecta had the highest flavonoid, alkaloid, saponin and tanin content of 3.17%, 5.43%, 3.50% and 5.15% respectively in ethanol extract and this was significant (P≤ 0.05), and followed by C. alata, O. graticimum, and P. guineense. The highest phenol content of 3.50% was recorded in water extract of C. alata followed by water extract of T. erecta, O. graticimum, and ethanol extract of P. guineense. The exploitation of antimicrobial potentials of these phytochemicals in the control of plant diseases incited by pathogenic organisms is recommended.