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The safety of herbal medicines has become a major concern to both national health authorities and the general public. Hence their production, quality, distribution and use are regulated. Some medicinal plants commonly used for malaria, diabetes and Tuberculosis and respiratory conditions were evaluated for qual-ity. The objective of the study is to assess some quality specifications, physicochemical and heavy metals of some medicinal plant extracts. The samples were identified, purchased, processed and analyzed using appropriate standards methods specified by WHO and AOAC; while the heavy metals content was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophometer (AAS). All the analyzed samples passed WHO permissible limit established for heavy metals content, however 42.8 and 21.4% of the samples failed moisture and ash con-tent permissible limits respectively. High level of moisture content will favor microbial and fungal growth and shortens shelf-life of the samples. The WHO maximum permissible limits for moisture and ash content are ≤15 and ≤8. The ash content was also above standard permissible limit in 80% of the samples, this could be associated to improper handling that has resulted to introduction of inorganic substances such as silica and other inorganic matters. The levels of heavy metals content were all below the WHO maximum per-missible limits. The moisture, ash and heavy metals are among the important parameters of medicinal plants that require frequent routine monitoring in order to ensure safety.

This article was initially uploaded to AJOL with the incorrect authors, the AJOL site and PDF have been amended and information displayed is accurate. Plants products have been a source of food and medicines since antiquity. Tapinanthus sessillifolius commonly known as African mistletoe is used in lifestyle preventive medicine to enhance wellbeing and for treatment of various diseases. The heavy metals, macro elements were determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer and some physico-chemicals were also evaluated for consistency of the extract. The acute and subchronic toxicity studies of aqueous fresh leaf extract of Tapinanthus sessillifolius was evaluated in albino mice and rats. This is to determine its safety profile by evaluating its effects on feed and water intake, body weight, relative organ weight and changes in some biochemical parameters after 21 days daily oral administration to rats. The results, estimated LD50 to be greater than 2000 mg/kg/bw. The extracts had no adverse effect on the efficiency of food and water consumption. Relative organ weight and the biochemical parameters tested were not significantly different p

Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst (Ebenaceae) stem bark is used in traditional medicine for the management of pain related ailments. Several bioactive compounds have previously been isolated from the plant material that includes pentacyclic triterpenes. This study sequentially extracted and carried out a bioassay-guided fractionation of the plant crude material with solvents of varying polarity using analgesic efficacy in rats as bioactivity marker, aimed to isolate the active constituent. Powdered stem bark of the plant was sequentially extracted with hexane, chloroform and methanol; and preliminary tested for analgesic activity. The chloroform extract being the most active amongst the three extracts was subjected to column chromatography, and a fraction was eluted with mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate (50:50%) which yielded a compound. Three dose levels (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) of the compound were administered orally to rats. Acetylsalicylic acid (100 mg/kg, p.o.) was used as the positive control. Nociception was induced mechanically using analgesy meter, and chemically with formalin. The compound alleviated the pain stimulus induced by the analgesy-meter and formalin in rats. The isolated compound was identified as lupeol using thermo-analysis (DSC), colorimetric, chromatographic and spectrometric techniques that included: UV-visible, IR, and 13C- and 1H NMR. It was concluded that lupeol acting alone or synergistically might be responsible for the beneficial effect of the plant in treatment of pain related ailments. Key words: Diospyros mespiliformis, lupeol, analgesic.

Background. Patients in West Africa where sickle cell anemia (SCA) is endemic have for ages been treated with natural products, especially herbs, as, is still the case in rural communities. Objective. In this paper we look closely at some of these herbs to see if there are any lessons to be learnt or clues to be found for optimizing the treatments based on them, as had been done in the case of NIPRISAN, which was developed from herbs in Nigeria based on Yoruba Medicine. Methods. Select publications on SCA, its molecular biology and pathology, and actual and experimental cases of herbal treatment were perused in search of molecular clues that can be linked to chemical constituents of the herbs involved. Results. The study revealed that during the last 2-3 decades, much progress was made in several aspects of SCA pharmacology, especially the approval of hydroxyurea. As for SCA herbalism, this paper revealed that antisickling herbs abound in West Africa and that the most promising may yet be found. Three new antisickling herbs (Entandrophragma utile, Chenopodium ambrosioides, and Petiveria alliacea) were reported in May 2011. At NIPRD, where NIPRISAN was developed, three other recipes are currently awaiting development. Conclusion. The study raised the hope that the search in the Tropics for more effective herbal recipes for managing sickle cell anaemia will be more fruitful with time and effort.