ABSTRACT
Medicinal plants are of great importance to the health of individuals and communities. These plants' medicinal efficacy comes from a few chemical constituents that have a clear physiological effect on the human body. The utilization of 20% of known plants in pharmaceutical research has had a favorable impact on the healthcare system by, for example, curing cancer and other hazardous diseases. In this study, the leaves of D. metel were collected, dried and pulverized. Then, the powdered sample was extracted using hexane solvent and screened for the presence of phytochemicals. After this, the extract was characterized by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to determine its specific constituents. The result of the phytochemical study showed the presence of six (6) out of nine (9) secondary metabolites that were tested. These include glycosides, saponins, phenolics, alkaloids, steroids, and eugenols. However, the following metabolites such as terpenoids, flavonoids, and tannins were absent. The HPLC study showed an abundance of useful constituents with pharmacological activities such as atropine, scopolamine and quercetin. These compounds have been seen to perform health remediating functions such as antidepressant, anti-inflammation, anxiolytic, and many more. The findings of this study proves the D. metel plant is composed of useful bioactive substances. With this, the plant has a huge potential in performing medicinal functions to humans, so it is advisable to either consume it or utilize it in the discovery of novel drugs.
