| dc.description.abstract | Plantshave been used for medicinal purposes by many societies across the world, hence in Kenya. In Uriri District, Kenya, the increased use of medicinal plants for traditional medicinehas led to over exploitation of tree species whereas the shrubby and herbaceous speciesremain underutilized. There is scarce literature related to the study, thus the need . for this research. This study was carried out among two main communities of Uriri District,the Luo and Maragoli. The objective of the study was to establish the traditional medicinal use, phytochemical and mineral analysis and propagation of selected Lamiaceaeherbs from Uriri District. Observation, photography and oral interviews were the methods used to collect information. Phytochemical screening involved the qualitativeand calorimetric techniques to test for the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, sterols, cardiac glycosides and tannins, while mineral analysis involve dry ashing technique and qualitative analysis of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), . zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) in the plants selected using atomic absorption spectrophotometer(AAS) and flame photometer. All the analysis were conducted in MasenoUniversity Chemistry Laboratory. Propagation of the target plants was done at the Botanic Garden - Maseno University. Twelve (12) medicinal plants of Lamiaceae familywere collected and identified at the East African Herbarium and it was revealed that they were; Becium obovatum (E.Mey.Ex Benth) N.E.Br, Calamintha nepeta (L) Savi,Fuestia africana T.C.E Fries, Hyptis pectinata (L) Poit, Hoslundia opposita Vahl , Leonotis nepetifolia (R,Br) Ait.F, Leucas calostachys Oliv, Ocimum kilimandscharicum Baker Ex. Gurke, Plectranthus barbatus Andrews, Plectranthus longipes Bak, Pycnostachys speciosa Gurke and Satureja biflora (Ham Ex. D.Don) Brig. The phytochemical screening revealed that all the plant species collected had a wide range of secondary metabolites which included sterols, terpenoids, tannins, saponins alkaloids, flavonoids and glycosides. Mineral analysis on some of the collected plant species revealed the presence of Ca, Fe, Zn and K. Seed propagation was successful for all the plants collected while vegetative propagation was only successful in four species of plants. In conclusion, out of the 12 plants collected 10(83.3 %) were well known to the . interviewees and are of common use in the area. The presence of secondary metabolites in the plants contributed to their medicinal value while the minerals were useful in maintaining proper body healthcare. Seed propagation was the cheapest means of conserving some of the species of Lamiaceae due to their germinability. This research has provided an insight into Lamiaceae plants used in traditional healthcare, the secondary metabolites and minerals contained, and their importance. The research recommends that the plant species collected be subjected to further phytochemical analysis; the extraction of essential oils if exploited will be useful to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries and institutions be set up to collect and document information on herbal medicine to prevent such knowledge from disappearing due to generational change. | en_US |
