Importance Of Utazi Gongronema Latifolium And Nchuanwu Ocimum Gratissium
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Importance Of Utazi Gongronema Latifolium And Nchuanwu Ocimum Gratissium
ABSTRACT
The study focused on the potential vitamin content of Utazi (Gongronema latifolium) and Nchuanwu (Ocimum gratissimum) leaf juice. Only vitamins A and C were thoroughly examined. It was observed that Utazi had 1.14mg/ml of vitamin A and 34:61mg/100ml of vitamin C
whereas Nchuanwu had 2.14mg/ml of vitamin A and 30.76mg/ml of vitamin C. The results suggest that Utazi and Nchanwu are high-quality sources of vitamin A and C, with promising industrial and medical applications.
Chapter one
1.0 Introduction
1.0.1 Utazi (Gongronema latifolium/ Bush buck) is a leafy vegetable that belongs to the spice plant family. It belongs to the ASCLEPIADACEA family, with the genus GONGRONEMA and the species LATIFOLIUM.
The vernacular name is BUSH BUCK, and the botanical name is GONGRONEMA lATIFOLIUM. Utazi is a climber with woody hollow glaborous stems and greenish yellow flowers (Okolo 1987).
Gongronema latifolium is known as ‘utazi’ by the Igbo, ‘utasi’ by the efik / ibibo in South-eastern Nigeria, and ‘arokeke’ or’madumaro’ by the Yoruba (Ugochukwu and Babady, 2002). In Ghana, the akan-asantes call it ‘kurutu nsurogya’.
The serer in Senegal name it “gasub,” while the kissis, mende, and temnes in Sierra Leone call it “ndondo-polole,” “tawabembe,” and “ra-bilong” (Dalziel et al., 1961). They have a strong, bitter, and sweet flavour and are commonly used as a leafy vegetable and a spice in sauces, soups, and salads (Okolo 1987; Anaso and Onochie 1999).
Utazi is used in tiny quantities to prepare soups such as Nsala soup, ugba sauce, and yam, as well as to garnish dishes such as Abacha, Ncha, Isiewu, and Nkwobi. The leaves are used to flavour the locally manufactured beer.
In Sierra Leone, the supple stems serve as chew sticks. The bark is rich in latex and has been tasted for exploitation (Morebise et al., 2002).
Various writers reported that it contains essential oils, saponins, and pregnanes, among other things (Schneider et al; 1993, Morebise and Fafunso 1998, Morebise et al; 202).
The plant has long been utilised in folk medicine to maintain normal blood glucose levels (Okafor 1987, 1989). The plant leaves have been shown to be quite effective as anti-diarrhea and anti-tussive agents (Sofoware 1982; Iwu 1993).
1.0.2 Nchuanwu (ocimum gratissimum / clove basil) is a leafy vegetable that belongs to the spice plant family. It belongs to the LAMIACEAC family, with the genus OCIMUM and the species O.GRATISSIMUM.
Its vernacular name is CLOVE BASIL, and its botanical name is OCIMUM GRATISSIMUM. Nchuanwu is found in the tropics of Africa and Asia. It’s a perennial plant with a woody base. It has an average height of 1-3 metres.
The leaves are broad and narrowly oval, measuring 5-13cm long by 3-9cm wide. It is a fragrant shrub with lime-green fuzzy leaves (Wagner et al, 1999).
The plant is known as “effinrin-nia” in Yoruba, “Nchuanwu” in Igbo, and “Daidoya” in Hausa. (Effraim et al, 2002).
The nutritional value of this plant is centred on its use as a seasoning due to its aromatic flavour (C.N. Ezekwesili et al; 2004).
Nchuanwu in folk medicine, ocimum gratissimum is widely used in West Africa as a febrifuge, anti-malarial, and anticonvulsant. Leaf juice is used to alleviate stomach pain and catarrh. Leaf oil has been shown to have antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties (Ezekwesile et al., 2004).
In Nigeria’s coastal areas, the herb is used to cure epilepsy (Osifo, 1992), high fever (Oliver 1980), and diarrhoea. In the savannah, decoctions of the leaves are used to treat mental illnesses (Abdulrahman, 1992).
The Ibos of southern Nigeria utilise Nchuanwu to maintain the newborn cord. It is thought to help keep the baby’s cord and wound surface clean. It is used to treat fungal infections, fever, colds, and catarrh (Iwu 1986).
They serve an important part in the population’s diets because they contain high levels of vital macronutrients, micronutrients, and vitamins.
Because of their seasonal nature and high moisture content, there is a need to create adequate preservation technologies to ensure their availability all year (Eze and Chibuzor, 2008).
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