Medicinal plants are highly valued for their active compounds. These plants can be used in various fields and preservation of these plants in their environment. The present study aimed to screen medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in Medina valleys for the presence of metabolites, and to answer the following question: is the ethnomedicinal importance of medicinal plants used in Medina valleys conform to their primary and secondary metabolite content. Eight plants (Pulicaria incise, Heliotropium arbainense, Commicarpus grandiflorus, Rumex vesicarius, Senna alexandrina, Rhazya stricta, Withania somnifera and Asphodelus fistulosus

The relation between Olea europaea subspecies cuspidata and subspecies europaea in Saudi Arabia were investigated for determination of the bioactive compounds in olive leaves. The antioxidant and total phenolic content were demonstrated by HPLC/MS. Also, the antimicrobial agar gel well diffusion activity was done for ethanolic extracts. The study identified a great number of phenolic compounds out of which some anticancer compounds were identified. The content of olive leaves extract differs according to habitat (either wild or cultivated). The ethanolic extract of both types has high phenolic content (21.3 to 22.6 mg GA/gdw) and antioxidant activity (71% to 57%) for wild and cultivated leaf extracts, respectively. The phenolic profiles revealed the presence of plenty of flavonoids and phenolic compounds. The major polyphenol in the extracts is naringenin, which appears at peaks 8 with concentrations of 21.93 and 17.35 µg/mL for cultivated and wild leave respectively, which retention times 14.99 and 14.98. The antimicrobial activity showed that the leaves extract have strong antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, with the highest inhibition zones (28 and 26 mm) for wild and cultivated leaf extracts, respectively. This is considered as valuable data about the potential for industrial mass production of polyphenol.

The foremost threat facing all living organisms is water pollution, which has a number of detrimental effects. Moreover, the search for alternative sources of clean water has become a high priority for all governments. The current study’s goal is to determine whether it is possible to use the treated wastewater found in wadi Al-Khumra effluent stream in Jeddah governorate in irrigating non-edible crops, gardens, and aromatic plants, instead of allowing it to flow into the sea without being put to any useful use. In light of its high nutritional value, notably in terms of Ca, Mg, and NO3, the results of the water analyses demonstrated the prevalence of its suitability for irrigation. The amount of potentially toxic elements in this water is markedly lower than the Saudi regulations’ permitted limit. Furthermore, the analysis results of soil samples collected from the sewage stream at the study sites showed the richness of this soil with various macro and micronutrients, though the level of some potentially toxic elements exceeded the permitted limits. Overall, before the competent authority decides to use these resources for reforestation and irrigation of some economically significant crops, the mineral content of irrigation water and the soil must be taken into consideration.

Environmental pollution is causing damage to the flora and fauna, resulting in a number of negative impacts on the environment. The present study aims towards evaluation of soil heavy metals (chromium, lead, and nickel) from different locations of Jeddah using leaves of two plant species. Two naturally grown plant species, Prosopis juli flora and Conocarpus lancifolius were collected from four different sites. The soil samples were collected near the factories, main roads, and branch roads in Jeddah. The soil samples were dried and sieved through a 2mm plastic sieve to remove large gravel-sized materials. Soil texture, pH, and EC evaluation were conducted. The amount of Cr, Pb, and Ni was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer Model Inductivity coupled plasma emission spectrometer ICP (PARKIN ELEMER). SPSS, ANOVA, and Post-Hoc Test were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the amount of heavy metal in the soil of Prosopis juli flora were between 0.74-54.0μg/g D.wt. for Cr, 0.31-4.64 μg/g D.wt. for Pb and 1.22-24.5 μg/g D.wt. for Ni. The range of Cr, Pb and Ni in the leaves were between 0.04-13.3.0μg/g D.wt. for Cr, 0.06-20.0 μg/g D.wt. for Pb and 0.16-9.0μg/g D.wt. for Ni. For the soil of Prosopis juli flora, the EC ranged between 0.27- 1.05 mS/cm; whereas, pH ranged from 7.29-7.55 and 78.5-96.5% for sand, 1.0-16.5% for silt, and 1.0-6.0 for clay. There was a significant correlation between the soil textures, clay, and silt at selected sites. Phytoremediation is an effective strategy to overcome the effects of heavy metals including Cr, Pb, and Ni that are being absorbed in plants.

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