Keywords Antimicrobial properties Á Bioactive compounds Á Biological activity Á
Medicinal plants Á Phenolic acids
2.1 Introduction
Since times immemorial many countries across the planet have accumulated a rich
body of empirical knowledge tracing the occurrence of bioactive natural compounds with medicinal properties from medicinal plants for the treatment of different illnesses throughout their long history. Natural bioactive compounds are
metabolites manufactured by plants and their uses in different fields like medicine in
form of pharmaceutical drugs and plant based bio-pesticides in agricultural plant
protection are well known and documented. Approximately, 85% of preparation of
traditional medicine involves the use of bioactive natural compounds extracted from
plant (Meenupriya et al. 2014). Medicinal plants play a key role in world health and
global economy (Meenupriya et al. 2014). Plants generate numerous categories of
bioactive natural compounds, thus, making them rich source of various types of
drugs and biopesticides (Meenupriya et al. 2014). All parts of these plants
(roots, flowers, stem, bark, leaves, essential oils and seeds have microbial qualities
and are therefore used for many purposes incuding traditional medicine (Dwivedi
and Enespa 2012; Anwar et al. 2007). The choice and use of these potential plants
and their general applications in pharmaceuticals and agriculture is due to: (1) their
safety for human consumption, (2) non environmental pollution. (3) more acceptable to the pharmaceuticals and local farmers because they are indigenous (4) their
biological activity and dispersion in harvested tissue (5) our ability to develop
formulations that allow the delivery of non-toxic concentrations but at the same
time interfere with antimicrobial development (Sogvar et al. 2016; Bhattacharjee
and Dey 2014).
Today, research interest on medicinal plants is focus in recent time in such areas
such as pharmacognosy, phytochemistry and horticulture. Bioactive compounds
have been validated and detailed of their structural analysis have been present in the
field or area phytochemistry. Ríos et al. (2015) and Jacob and Narendhirakannan
(2019) have reported the use of such plants as fenugreek, caper, aloe, soybean,
banaba, green tea, bitter melon, turmeric, cinnamon, walnut, coffee, guava, cocoa,
garlic, sage, gymnema, nettle and yerba mate for treating illness like diabetes and its
alike and the mechanisms of natural bioactive products as antidiabetic agents, with
attention to compounds of high interest. The compounds are gurmarin, phlorizin,
berberine, gymnemic acids, palmatine, honokiol, amorfrutins, trigonelline and
fukugetin. The review described by (Jacob and Narendhirakannan 2019) has categorized 81 plants from literature that are native to Asian countries with
anti-lipidemic, antidiabetic, insulin-mimetic, hypoglycemic, and antihyperglycemic
properties. The presence of some bioactive compounds in the leaves, stem bark and
flowers of Eugenia jambolana Lam. such as n-dotricontanol, anthocyanins, acylated
flavonol glycosides delphinidin, friedelan-3-a-ol, friedelin, corilagin, petunidin,
42
T. Ahmadu and K. Ahmad
Medicinal plants Á Phenolic acids
2.1 Introduction
Since times immemorial many countries across the planet have accumulated a rich
body of empirical knowledge tracing the occurrence of bioactive natural compounds with medicinal properties from medicinal plants for the treatment of different illnesses throughout their long history. Natural bioactive compounds are
metabolites manufactured by plants and their uses in different fields like medicine in
form of pharmaceutical drugs and plant based bio-pesticides in agricultural plant
protection are well known and documented. Approximately, 85% of preparation of
traditional medicine involves the use of bioactive natural compounds extracted from
plant (Meenupriya et al. 2014). Medicinal plants play a key role in world health and
global economy (Meenupriya et al. 2014). Plants generate numerous categories of
bioactive natural compounds, thus, making them rich source of various types of
drugs and biopesticides (Meenupriya et al. 2014). All parts of these plants
(roots, flowers, stem, bark, leaves, essential oils and seeds have microbial qualities
and are therefore used for many purposes incuding traditional medicine (Dwivedi
and Enespa 2012; Anwar et al. 2007). The choice and use of these potential plants
and their general applications in pharmaceuticals and agriculture is due to: (1) their
safety for human consumption, (2) non environmental pollution. (3) more acceptable to the pharmaceuticals and local farmers because they are indigenous (4) their
biological activity and dispersion in harvested tissue (5) our ability to develop
formulations that allow the delivery of non-toxic concentrations but at the same
time interfere with antimicrobial development (Sogvar et al. 2016; Bhattacharjee
and Dey 2014).
Today, research interest on medicinal plants is focus in recent time in such areas
such as pharmacognosy, phytochemistry and horticulture. Bioactive compounds
have been validated and detailed of their structural analysis have been present in the
field or area phytochemistry. Ríos et al. (2015) and Jacob and Narendhirakannan
(2019) have reported the use of such plants as fenugreek, caper, aloe, soybean,
banaba, green tea, bitter melon, turmeric, cinnamon, walnut, coffee, guava, cocoa,
garlic, sage, gymnema, nettle and yerba mate for treating illness like diabetes and its
alike and the mechanisms of natural bioactive products as antidiabetic agents, with
attention to compounds of high interest. The compounds are gurmarin, phlorizin,
berberine, gymnemic acids, palmatine, honokiol, amorfrutins, trigonelline and
fukugetin. The review described by (Jacob and Narendhirakannan 2019) has categorized 81 plants from literature that are native to Asian countries with
anti-lipidemic, antidiabetic, insulin-mimetic, hypoglycemic, and antihyperglycemic
properties. The presence of some bioactive compounds in the leaves, stem bark and
flowers of Eugenia jambolana Lam. such as n-dotricontanol, anthocyanins, acylated
flavonol glycosides delphinidin, friedelan-3-a-ol, friedelin, corilagin, petunidin,
42
T. Ahmadu and K. Ahmad