CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

Every food substance consumed by humans has either a therapeutic nutritional or toxic effect on the body. Those food substance when got in their crude form can be ofimmense help in the curing of some ailments plants have been used for therapeutic purposes and their uses are as old as the history of man. In the past decades, pharmacologists and organic chemists have synthesized a large number of interesting chemical substances from medicinal plants, which have been of great help in the practice of optometry and medicine. Example is Belladonna plant from which atropine is derived.

The aromatic plantxylopiaaethopicaDurial (Annonacea) commonly known as Elhiopia or Negro pepper has been used in Europe, Asia and Africa as pepper substitute an spice in local cooking. Various parts of the plant have been traditionally employed in differently therapeutic preparations. Something, a combination of xylopia aethiopica is used to achieve the desired effects (fall et al, 2003; Ogunkunle and Ladejobi, 2006) in Nigeria, xylopia aethiopica combination with the roots of strychosinogia, Gardenia tennifolia, Uvariachamea and Annonasenegalensis, service as a remedy for stomach ache and coughs. The sauce is usuallygiven to women after delivery to relieve pains, promote healing and lactation.

Preliminary studies have shown that xylopia aethiopica fruits contain pharmaceutical constituent such as alkaloids, tennins and flavonoids. The essential oil from various parts of xylopia aethiopica had also been well characterized (Kouninkiet al, 2006; Kouninkiet al 2007).

Several plants lipids have been reported to enhance healing from diverse ailments due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (Azeb et al, 2004, Mortin, 2005) in the present study, we report the physico-chemical analysis and further characterization of the oils of xylopia aethiopica. The effect to this plant oil on membrane stabilization and prostaglandin synthase activity were also studies to provide an insight into its action on the inflammatory response which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many disorder as well as the healing process.

Ethiopian pepper originated from tropical Africa (Ethiopian to Ghana) where both the species xylopiaaethiopica andxylopiastraita are used for local cooking. In South Africa, xylopia aethiopica(burro pepper) has found similar application among Brazilian xylopia is compression from Greek kylonpikron “bitter wood”, aethiopica refers to the origin of the tree (thought most if it grows in Ghana). Negro pepper has been used as pepper substitute in Europe (Ayedun, Adeot, Sossou and Leclecq 1996).

A study conducted by Guiques de souza et al (1996) described the structure of the secretory apparatus responsible for the production of the essential oil.