Mineral Composition and Nutritive Analysis of Bulbine Abyssinica A. Rich. Used in the Treatment of Infections and Complications Associated With Diabetes Mellitus in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

Background: B. abyssinica is a succulent member of the genus Bulbine (Asphodelaceae). It occurs from the Eastern Cape, through Swaziland and further north to Ethiopia. The species is used in traditional medicine to treat rheumatism, dysentery, bilharzia, cracked lips and diabetes. The tea leaf is used to treat cough, vaginal and bladder problems. Whereas B. abyssinica has ethno medicinal value, not much data concerning its phytonutrient, macro and micro element composition can be found in literature.
 Materials and Methods: Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine the nutritional quantitative composition of the plant using standard procedures.
 Results: The proximate analysis revealed the carbohydrate, crude fibre, moisture, ash, crude protein and crude fat contents as 74.8%, 8.9%, 8.8%, 8%, 7.7% and 0.6%, respectively. The species showed high levels of oxalates and phytic acids, moderate levels of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and phenols, while tannins were in low levels. Vitamin A, C and E contents were 12, 12.3 and 22.1 mg/100g, respectively. Amongst the mineral elements investigated, potassium and calcium were in high levels. Magnesium, iron, sodium, aluminium and phosphorus were moderately present, while manganese, zinc and copper where in low amounts. These vitamins and mineral elements were within their recommended daily allowance in humans.
 Conclusion: The amount of these phytochemicals suggests the plant can serve as nutritional supplements which are vital in maintaining good health status. These findings also suggest the potential role of B. abyssinica in the treatment of infections and some chronic diseases, especially diabetes mellitus.

Bioprospecting of South African Plants as a Unique Resource for Bioactive Endophytic Microbes

“…Thus, very interesting biological activities of these plants have been discovered, such as antimicrobial efficacy, against a diverse range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Van Vuuren, 2008 ; Nyila et al, 2012 ; Okem et al, 2012 ; Mabona et al, 2013 ; Sharma and Lall, 2014 ; Aro et al, 2015 ; Elisha et al, 2016 ; Kabongo-Kayoka et al, 2016 ; Ramadwa et al, 2017 ) in addition to a large spectrum of fungi (Adamu et al, 2012 ; Otang et al, 2012 ). Moreover, anticancer (Sharma and Lall, 2014 ; Saeed et al, 2016 ), antioxidant (Saeed et al, 2012 ; Sharma and Lall, 2014 ; Dzoyem and Eloff, 2015 ), anti-inflammatory (Dzoyem and Eloff, 2015 ), anthelmintic (Aremu et al, 2010 ; Maphosa et al, 2010 ; Maphosa and Masika, 2012 ; Okem et al, 2012 ), antimalarial (Clarkson et al, 2004 ), antiviral (Bagla et al, 2012 ; Mehrbod et al, 2018 ), antidiabetic (Oyedemi et al, 2009 ; Kibiti, 2016 ), anti-HIV (Kamng'ona et al, 2011 ; Hurinanthan, 2013 ; Mthethwa et al, 2014 ) activities have been reported. Comprehensive reviews and surveys have discussed the potential of South African plants to treat inflammatory conditions (Iwalewa et al, 2007 ), diarrhea (Lin et al, 2002 ; Mathabe et al, 2006 ; Fawole et al, 2009 ; Bisi-Johnson et al, 2010 ; Semenya and Maroyi, 2012 ; Van Vuuren et al, 2015 ; Motlhatlego et al, 2018 ) and TB-related symptoms (McGaw et al, 2008 ).…”