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The use of medicinal plants in most developing countries as therapeutic agents for the maintenance of good health is a widespread practice. One of such plant products is Piper guineense, which is a West African spice used in many folklore medicines and has a number of verified pharmacological activities. Proximate analysis reveals that the plant contains crude protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals while preliminary phytochemical screening and gas chromatography-mass spectrophotoscopy of the methanol leaf and seed extract of Piper guineense revealed the presence of several constituents such as alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, flavonoids, terpenes; sesquiterpenoids and monoterpenoids, saponins and secondary metabolites such as Aromadendrene, 1,6,10- Dodecatriene,7,11-dimethyl-3-methylene and piperine, piperidine amongst other secondary metabolites. Studies have revealed that Piper guineense possess several pharmacological and therapeutic properties such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, aphrodisiac, anti-parasitic, antiinflammatory, anti-convulsant, molluscicidal, oestrogenic and oxytocic properties. This paper provides a review on the morphology, physicochemical and phytochemical constituents, ethnomedicinal and scientifically proven therapeutic activities of Piper guineense.

Aframomum species (Aframomum danielli, Aframomum melegueta and Aframomum sceptrum) are used traditionally as medicine and food preservatives. Synthetic preservatives have been reported to be carcinogenic; hence, the continuous search for a natural preservative. This study was designed to validate the efficacy of the three named Aframomum species as a preservative against fungi that causes spoilage in raw fish and meat. The methanolic extracts of the samples were screened against Aspergillus tamarii, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus ochraceus and Trichoderma sp. using pour plate technique. The fungi were isolated from the raw fish and meat by the method of serial dilution then pour plated into Potatoes Dextro Agar (PDA) incubated at 37ºC for 7 days. The fungi observed were subcultured to get pure culture. The three samples showed significant antifungal activities against Aspergillus tamarii, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus ochraceus and Trichoderma sp. at 25%, 50% and 75% concentrations. The significant antifungal activities displayed by extract of these samples could be attributed to their phytochemical and nutritional components of the samples as well as their antioxidant activity. The three samples could be valuable natural preservatives with additional therapeutic potential.

The importance of Vitellaria paradoxa has necessitated its inclusion in the ongoing afforestation project which requires mass production of its seedlings. The shea-butter tree produces oil-rich seeds that are important to cosmetic and food and nutrition industries. It is a deciduous tree which could survive in the dry-savannah and help withstand desert encroachment. However, overexploitation of its timber for firewood and charcoal production made it vulnerable. In-vitro propagation of this species could be a viable means towards its mass propagation. Two plant-hormones: Gibberellic Acid (GA3) and Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP) were used to grow the plant in different combinations making up six treatments (A-F) with 6 replicates in each group. The combinations include 1.5/0, 1.5/1.0, 1.5/1.5, 2.0/0, 2.0/1.0, 2.0/1.5 mg/L of GA3/BAP, which were used to grow 2cm nodal cuttings of the V. paradoxa on half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) media. Treatment F (with 2.0/1.5 mg/L GA3/BAP) produced the highest number of leaves (2.4 ± 0.6, 3.2 ± 0.8) and longest shoot length (1.1 ± 0.3 cm, 1.4 ± 0.5 cm) at 4 and 8 Weeks After Inoculation (WAI), respectively. The results of this study showed that application of growth- enhancing hormones for the regeneration of important tree species could provide means for their mass propagation so as to meet the need for afforestation projects. Keywords: Vitellaria paradoxa, Afforestation, In-vitro propagation, Mass propagation.