A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON MEDICINAL IMPORTANCE AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF CROTON MACROSTACHYUS LEAVE EXTRACTS IN EAST AFRICA

Croto macrostachyus has a potential source of a wide range of pharmaceutical products in tropical Africa and will provide a new direction for researchers in the future. In this study, systematic review attempted to explore the medicinal importance of C. macrostachyus based on ethnomedicinal research findings in East Africa, and phytochemical compounds from C. macrostachyus leaves extracts were determined. The study was conducted from February to June 2018 on google scholar, BMC, PubMed, and google search engines. For research study, inclusion and exclusion criteria were used (Ethnobotanical and ethno-medicinal surveys reporting on medicinal importance of C. macrostachyus, written in English, conducted in East Africa, year of publication of a study that describes method of preparation, route of administration, and Articles focused on ethnoveterinary practice). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data collected from C. macrostachyus. From a total of 90 studies, 20 studies were used as a systematic review. Most of the ethnoveterinary study conducted in Ethiopia. Leaves were the most frequently used plant parts. Oral administration was the most common frequently utilized route of administration. In this study, a total of 23 major animal diseases that can be treated by C. macrostachyus were reported. The leaf of C. macrostachyus extracts revealed the presence of various phytochemical compounds such as terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, and phenols, whereas tannins were not detected. This finding has shown that there is a lack of precision in the determination of doses and side effects in the study area since there were variations in the units of measurement and the quantity of plant parts used. Therefore, further study is needed to determine the dosage, concentration of the preparation, side effects, and phytochemical compounds present in this medicinal plant.