The Ethnobotanical, Phytochemical and Mineral Analyses of Phragmanthera Incana (Klotzsch), A Species of Mistletoe Growing on Three Plant Hosts in South-Western Nigeria

Abstract

Mistletoe is collected wildly on various plants and Phragmanthera incana is noted to grow on different plant hosts. This study was designed to carry out the ethnobotanical survey, phytochemical and mineral analyses of Phragmanthera incana, a species of mistletoe growing on three plant hosts namely Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), Kolanut (Cola nitida) and Bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis). Mistletoe samples were identified at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria Herbarium. Phragmanthera incana was screened for its phytochemical constituents and mineral cations along its hosts following standard methods and to confirm if the mistletoe species is host specific. The powdered samples of the mistletoe species (Phragmanthera incana) was used for both the phytochemical screening and the cation mineral analysis. The uses and the harvesting methods of mistletoe were also reviewed extensively in this paper.

Folk taxonomy and quantitative ethnobotany of Loranthaceae in northern Benin

“…This will reduce a large part of the mistletoe density on V. paradoxa and P. biglobosa given these mistletoes were the most abundant in the study area. The preponderance of medicinal uses of mistletoes revealed in this work is well recognized worldwide [ 20 , 24 , 48 , 49 ] and explained by the active compounds they contained [ 50 , 51 ]. Thus, we recommend the use of mistletoes in the production of improved traditional medicines to significantly reduce their density and then contribute to the improvement of human health [ 30 ].…”

Anti-Obesity Potentials of Methanol Extracts of Phragmanthera Incana Leaves Hemi-Parasitic on Guava, Cashew, Kolanut and Mango Trees in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Rats

“…P. incana leaves contains chemical constituents with different medicinal properties which could validates their ethnomedicinal claims as 'all heals' (Adeyemi, 2023). The leaves have immense potential to be used as a prospective target for drug formation because of its diverse arrays of bioactive compounds present in them Ogunmefun et al, 2013). The antioxidant profile of methanol extracts of P. incana leaves showed that the extracts are rich source of antioxidant which can potentiate its antioxidant potential in vivo as well as serve nutritional and therapeutic purposes .…”

Evaluation of The Toxic Effects of Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Tapinanthus cordifolius in Mice and Rats

“…Mistletoe, like other plants, can also grow on its own and make its sustenance through photosynthesis. 3 Mistletoe is commonly utilized in practically every culture to treat various conditions such as hypertension, cancer, and diabetes, or as a diuretic agent. 1,2 In Nigeria, mistletoe is used to treat a variety of human and animal problems, including stomach aches, diarrhoea, dysentery, wounds, and cancer.…”