Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic and GCMS Analysis of Ethanol Extract of a Polyherbal Phytomedicine Used in Nigerian Ethnomedicine

Abstract

The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), analgesics, and corticosteroids had been the treatment approach for inflammation via the inhibition of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2). However, long-term usage threatens the human organs such as the liver, kidneys and the gastrointestinal tract due to their side effects. 3 Hence, the need for an alternative with lesser or no adverse effect while proffering a comparable therapeutic effect for the treatment of inflammation cannot be overemphasized. Traditional remedies have recently gained increased acceptance and application in Africa as inflammatory-related diseases, epidemics, and pandemics appear to be on the increase. 4 Medicinal plants have proved to be an excellent alternative to conventional medicines due to their richness in diverse types of phytochemicals and micronutrients such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, tannins, saponins, zinc, iron etc. These phytochemicals are responsible for the therapeutic activities of medicinal plants such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anticancer, neuroprotective effects. 3,4 Ginger -Zingiber officinale Roscoe (family Zingiberaceae) is one of the plants prominently used for several disease management. It is abundant in different bioactive compounds and minerals. Its fresh form contains mainly gingerols (6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol), which are converted to shogaols after heating, 5 and finally to paradols upon hydrogenation. In addition to the gingerols and its derivatives, there are also several other phenols in ginger such as zingerone,