©2016 Pearl Research Journals Comparative Nutritional Compositions of the Leaves, Bark and Root of Nauclea latifolia Faleye Francis Jide* and Akinwumi Olubunmi Adenike Accepted 20 July 2016 Department of Chemistry, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. ABSTRACT This study investigates the nutritional composition of 50% ethanol: water extract obtained from the leaves, stem bark and root of Nauclea latifolia. The extracts were assessed for their proximate and mineral contents. The highest level of moisture, fat, protein, ash, crude fibre and carbohydrates were found in the root (12.48), leaves (4.72%), leaves (8.65%), leaves (6.75%), bark (13.35%) and bark (63.90%), respectively. Similarly, the mineral composition results showed that the bark was very rich in Fe and Zn; the leaf contained an appreciable level of Mn, while the root was very high in Ca, K, and Na. All the three plant parts contained low levels of Cu, while Cr was detected in a trace level only in the root. The present study showed that N.latifolia is rich in essential nutrients and its usage as food supplement for man and animal should be encouraged. Key words: Nauclea latifolia, Nutrients, Leaves, Bark, Root and Ethnomedicine. *Corresponding author. E-mail: fjfaleye2002@yahoo.com. INTRODUUCTION Nauclea latifolia is an evergreen multi-stemmed shrub or a tree; it grows up to an altitude of 200 m. It is widespread in the humid tropical rainforest zone or in savannah woodlands of West and Central Africa. In Cameroon, the root are used to treat jaundice, yellow fever, rheumatism, abdominal pains and hepatitis while the bark is being used in the treatment of jaundice and loss of appetite (Donalisio et al., 2013). In Nigeria, the stem bark and roots of the plant are used against fever, jaundice, malaria, diarrhoea, dysentery, hypertension and diabetes (Okwori et al., 2008; Gidado et al., 2005). In Sudan, the plant is used to treat venereal diseases and fever while in Ghana; the leaves and stems are used for stomach problems and for treating sores (Abbiw, 1990). The anticonvulsant, anxiolytic and sedative properties of the roots of the plant in mice have been investigated (Bum et al., 2009). The anthelmintic, hypoglycaemic and anti-hyperglycaemic activity of the aqueous and ethanolic extract of the plant has also been reported (Onyeyili et al., 2001; Ademola et al., 2007). The proximate composition of plant material is important as they show their respective percentage protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre, ash, moisture and dry matter content of the plant. They also display their food values as well as minerals and vitamins. The leaves of N. latifolia are used extensively in the feeding of ruminants and also for treating different ailments. The fruit is eaten by both humans and animals when ripe and also used for treatment of diseases in traditional medicine (Eze and Obinwa, 2014). In view of this, the current research was designed to investigate the comparative nutritional compositions of the leaves, stem bark and root obtained from 50% ethanol-water extract of N. latifolia to determine their nutrition values. Hopefully, these may contribute to their health beneficial effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sample Collection Fresh leaves, root, and stem bark of N. latifolia were collected from Ekiti State University, Nigeria and authenticated by Mr Femi Omotayo of the Plant Science Journal of Medical and Biological Science Research Vol. 2 (7), pp. 127-130, July, 2016 ISSN: 2449-1810 Full Length Research Paper http://pearlresearchjournals.org/journals/jmbsr/index.html