Sci. Agri. 20 (1), 2017: 23-31 © PSCI Publications Scientia Agriculturae www.pscipub.com/SA E-ISSN: 2310-953X / P-ISSN: 2311-0228 DOI: 10.15192/PSCP.SA.2017.20.1.2331 Effect of Solvent Extraction on Phytochemical Composition of Selected Nigerian Medicinal Plants Evans Egwim C, Gaiere Yakubu Department Of Biochemistry Federal University Of Technology, Minna Niger State Nigeria Corresponding author email: c.egwim@futminna.edu.ng Paper Information A B S T R A C T Received: 17 April, 2017 Accepted: 19 July, 2017 Published: 10 October, 2017 Thirty three (33) common Nigerian medicinal plants belonging to different families were investigated for the suitable solvents for phytochemical extraction. The investigation follows a standard procedure; active components were extracted in petroleum ether, ethanol and water. The presence of the following phytochemicals: Steroids, Alkaloids, Tannin, Carotiniods, Flavone aglycones, Flavonoids, Steroid Glucoside, Anthocyanosides, Anthocyanoside Aglycones, Saponin, Triterpenes, Coumarin, Polyuronides and Glucosides were screened. Alkaloids were extractable in petroleum ether, ethanol and water of all the medicinal plants studied. Tannin was best extracted in ethanol and water. Saponnin was suitably extracted in petroleum ether and water. Glucosides, triterpenes, steroids glucoside, anthocyanoside, flavonoids and carotenoids were slightly soluble in petroleum ether and ethanol. Coumarin, anthocyanoside aglycones and polyuronides was not detected in the solvents used. The study concludes that the extractions of these phytochemicals from medicinal plants are solvent dependent. © 2017 PSCI Publisher All rights reserved. Key words: Phytochemicals, Medicinal Plants, Traditional Medicine, Active Component, Extract Introduction Medicinal plant is any plant in which one or more of its organs contains the substances that can be used for therapeutic purposes and which are also used for making drugs. The World Health Organization consultative group has made it possible to distinguish between the medicinal plants for which therapeutic properties and the constituents have been established and some, their uses yet to be identified. (1) Plants are usually used for nutritional purposes. They are also used for various religious functions and for economics purposes. Higher plants have a long history of medicinal or antibiotic usage dating back 4000BC. Plants and their products were used locally in the treatment of infections, in many countries before the technological advancement in science. The used of medicinal plants predates the introduction of antibiotics and modern drugs into African continent. In North America continent for instant Canada, many drugs in use are of plants origin, while more than 25% of all prescriptions dispensed in public pharmacies in the United States contain drugs extracted from higher plants. In south East Asia, medicinal plants have been used in traditional medicine to cure a number of diseases for decades. The Nigeria selected medicinal plants and their various uses shown in table 1.0, which indicates their biodiversity and potentials in West Africa. When the medicinal plants were discovered, it was made known that those plants contain some properties and active ingredients, which are used in the pharmaceuticals today. (2) Reported the use of decoction to have existed for a long time. Today modern researchers’ findings indicated some other substances in the plants that are not active and as a result they were considered being inert materials. Plants produce natural products such as poisons, stimulants, essentials oils, resin and compounds which may have therapeutic properties such as opium, quinine, cocaine etc. those natural products of plants origin could fight against diseases either by inhibiting enzymes production or by cellular destruction or by other cellular mediated mechanisms. The essence of standardized extraction procedures for crude drugs (medicinal plant parts) is to attain the therapeutically desired portions and to eliminate unwanted material by treatment with a selective solvent known as menstrum. The extract thus obtained, after standardization, may be used as medicinal agent as such in the form of tinctures or fluid extracts or further processed to be incorporated in any dosage form such as tablets and capsules. These products contain complex mixture of many medicinal plant metabolites, such as alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids and lignans. (3) Extraction involves the separation of medicinally active portions of plant or animal tissues using selective solvents through standard procedures. The products so obtained from plants are relatively complex mixtures of metabolites, in liquid or semisolid state or (after removing the solvent) in dry powder form, and are intended for oral or external purpose. (4)