Evaluation of medicinal and nutritional values of mistletoe leaves (Loranthaceae) in Bida Metropolis, Niger State Nigeria

Abstract

Mistletoe plays an important role in the life of rural people as it has nutritional and medicinal values for livestock and human respectively. The present study evaluates the medicinal and nutritional values of mistletoe leaves (Loranthaceae). The qualitative phytochemical result revealed that phenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides were present in the methanol extract of the mistletoe leaves while anthraquinones, sterols and phlobatannins were absent. The result of the quantitative phytochemical properties revealed that phenols was the highest phytochemical with 235.58±0.84mg/100g, followed by saponins (123.15±1.21 mg/100 g), tannins (76.04±0.55 mg/100g), flavonoids (18.03±0.82 mg/100 g) while the least was found to be alkaloids with amount of 13.02±0.08 mg/100g. The proximate result showed that moisture had the highest (49.91±1.39%), followed by carbohydrates (34.31±2.10%), crude protein (8.64±0.54%), ash (3.87±0.24%) and fats (2.78±0.09%) while crude fiber was found to be the least nutrient (0.54±0.03%). This research underscores the medicinal value of mistletoe and its vast nutritional characteristics for the treatment of some ailment and as feed for animals.