Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activities of the Leaf Samples of Wonderful Kola (Buccholzia coriacea)

Fresh and Freeze-dried samples of the leaf of wonderful Kola (Bulcchozia coriacea) were evaluated for their phytochemicals and antioxidant properties using standard methods. Both fresh and freeze-dried samples were extracted with distilled water, acetone and ethanol respectively. The ethanol and acetone leaf extracts showed tannin, flavonoid, terpenoids, saponins, alkaloids, steriods and phylobatamin with high antioxidant activities compared to the aqueous extract except the Flavonoid and Ferric reducing Antioxidant power (FRAP) that gave good activities in the aqueous and ethanol extracts. The fresh leaf extracts of aqueous, acetone and ethanol extracts contained: Total phenol (3.532 ±0.69, 13.164 ±0.21 and 10.975±0.34mg/g, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) (25.712 ±0.83, 6.378±0.40 and 18.850±0.74 mg/g, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) (72.939 ±0.57, a 75.736 ±0.38 and 76.266±0.97 % and Fe2+ chelation (23.666 ±0.63, 55.126 ±0.13 and 57.022±0.38 % and Flavonoid (9.269±0.44, 4.792±0.87 and 7.590±0.02 respectively. The Freeze-Dried leaf extracts of aqueous, acetone and ethanol extracts contained; Total phenol (3.774 ±0.76, 4.937 ±0.69 and 14.176±0.46mg/g, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (20.738 ±0.95, 10.984±0.71 and 15.174±0.39 mg/g, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) (60.719 ±0.57, 82.627 ±0.15 and 74.971±0.89 % and Fe2+ chelation (22.612 ±0.72, 35.744 ±0.96 and71.278±0.29 % and Flavonoid (6.596±0.24,5.894±0.93 and 11.802±0.39 respectively. The results reveals that ethanol extract of the freeze dried wonderful kola leaf contained appreciable amount of phytochemicals with high antioxidant activity compared to the fresh leaves extracts. This suggests that the use of ethanol was more effective than other solvents for the extraction of phytochemicals from wonderful kola leaves. The leaves can be used as raw material in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry for the production of drugs due to its high antioxidant activity. The finding supports or validates the use of the seeds and leaves in the treatment of many ailments such as cardiovascular diseases as claimed by Traditional healers.