Table 1.

plants with potentials in preventive medicine practice

S/No	Plant	Family	Common Names	Local Names	Parts Used	Chemical Constituents	Action	References
1	Hygrophila auriculata	Acanthaceae	Indian paint brush	Hausa: zazargiwa, kayarukumi	Whole plant	Steroids, Alkaloids	Antibiotic	Odugbemi (2006)
2	Peristrophe bicalyculata	Acanthaceae		Tabanin dawaki, hargowandoki	Whole plant	Alkaloids, Essential oils, Fatty acids	Antimicrobial, it prevent Tuberculosis	Okujagu (2008)
3	Amaranthus spinosus L.	Amaranthaceae	Thorny pig weed	Hausa :zaaki banza mai kaya,Igbo:inine ogwu,yoruba:tete kekere	Whole plant	Tannins,saponins,amino acids,methyl derivative,cholesterol, oleanolic acid,stigmasterol,camp esterol	Antipyretic	Okujagu (2008)
4	Celosia isertii C.C. Townsend	Amaranthaceae		Hausa: Nannaho Igbo: Eli-emi Onu Yoruba: Ajifowo	Whole plant	Amaranthin celosianin Betanin	Antihelmintic	Okujagu (2008)
5	Mangifera indica	Anacardiaceae	Mango	Hausa: mangwaro Igbo: mangoro	Stem bark, leaves, fruit	Mangiferine	Anti-emetic, Anti-inflammatory	Okujagu (2008)
6	Spondias mombin L.	Anacardiaceae		Akika (Yoruba), Ijikere (Igbo)	Leaves	Tannins, phenolic esters, Alkaloids, saponin	Antiviral Antibacterial	Okwu and Okwu (2004)
7	Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich.	Annonaceae	Ethiopian pepper seed	Sesedo (Yoruba), Uda (Igbo)	Fruits	Volatile oil	Antimicrobial,
8	Catharanthus roseus L. G. Don	Apocynaceae	Rose periwinkle	Apabida (Yoruba)	Leaves	Vincrstine, vinblastine	Anti-leukaemic, anti-cancer, antihypertensive	Elujoba et al, (2005)
9	Rauwolfia vomitoriaAfz Or R. serpentine (L.) Benth ex. Kurz	Apocynaceae	Serpent wood	Asofeyeje (Yoruba), Akata (Igbo)	Leaves, Seeds	Reserpine, deserpidine, rescinamine, yohimbine	Antihypertensive	Kokwaro, (1993); Sofowora (2008)
10	Crytolopsis sanguinolenta (lindl(	Apocynaceae		Igbo: oba Yoruba: igisoba	Fruit	hydrocyanic acids	Anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory
11	Aristolochia albida Duchartre	Aristolochiaceae	Dutchman pipe	Hausa :duman dutse,Igbo:isi okuko,Yoruba:para n funfun	root	Aristolochic acids,aristolachine,aris tinic acids,aristidinic acids	Anthelmintic,anti-inflammatory	Okujagu (2008)
12	Ageratum conyzoides L.	Asteraceae	Goat weed	Imiesu (Yoruba)	Whole plant	Phenols, Alkaloids	Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic properties.	Kokwaro (1993)
13	Kigelia Africana (Lam.) Benth	Bignoniaceae	Sausage tree	Pandoro (Yoruba) Ishi (Igbo), Rahaina, nonon giwa (Hausa)	Bark, Seed.	Naphthoquinones, Iridoids,	Anti-malaria
14	Adansonia digitata L.	Bombacaceae	Baobab, Monkey bread	Kuka (Hausa), Osa (Yoruba) Osi (Edo), Oyili-akpu (Igbo), Kuwa (kanuri)	Root, bark, seed, leaves, flower.	Hydroquinone, proanthocyanidins	Anti-inflammation
15	Afzelia africana Smith	Caesalpiniaceae		Hausa: kawo Igbo: Akpalata Yoruba: Api Edo: Ariyan Efik: Enyin mbukpo	Bark	Alkaloids, Tanins	Antihelmintic	Okujagu (2008)
16	Cassia alataL.	Caesalpinaceae	Cassia	Asunran (Yoruba)	Leaves	Alkaloids, Saponins, Tannins, anthracionones and carbohydrates.	Antiseptic, laxative and it also inhibits fungal growth	Gill (1992); Sule et al (2010)
17	Cassia tora	Caesalpinaceae		Hausa: Talasa Yoruba Aborere	Whole plant	Tannis, Alkaloids, Anthraquinones, Glycosides, Oil, Hydrocyanic acid, fatty acid	Antimicrobial Activity	Sofowora (2008)
18	Daniella oliveri (Rolfe)	Caesalpiniaceae	Balsam tree	Hausa: maje Igbo: Agba Yoruba: Ojia, iya	Gum of bark	Alkaloid, Essential oil, tannin and oleoresin	Anti-parasite	Onwukaeme (1993)
19	Cleome viscose L.	Capparidaceae	Spider plant	Hausa :tafarnuwan,Igbo;k eerem kerem,Yoruba a:ekuya	Seeds, root	Coumarinolignans, cleomiscosin, marcrocyclic diterpenes	Antiscorbutic,anthelmintic	Okujagu (2008)
20	Carica papaya L.	Caricaseae	Paw paw	Ibepe (Yoruba)	Fruits, latex, leaves	Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Triterpenes	anthelmintic, antifungal	Gill (1992).
21	Bryophyllum pinnatum Lam Oken	Crassulaceae	Ressurection plant, Life plant	Eru-odundun, Abomoda (Yoruba), Odaa opue (Igbo)	Leaves, Roots, Leaf sap	alkaloids, flavonoids and essential oils	Antifungal, Antimicrobial, Anticancer. antihypertensive activity, prevent and treat Leishmaniasis, protect against chemically induced anaphylactic reactions	Ghasi et al (2011)
22	Mormodica charantia	Curcubitaceae	Bitter lemon	Hausa Garapunu	Fruit	Steroids	Antidiabetic, Antioxidant	Abe (1974)
23.	Telferia occidentalis	Curcubitaceae	Fluted pumpkin	Igbo: ugu	Seeds	Steriods, tannic acid	Prevention of adnopause, prevention of anaemia	Tan (2002)
24	Acalypha godseffiana pax	Euphorbiaceae	Golden acalypha	Yoruba: Jinwinni	Leaf Poultice	antibiotic, bacteristatic, fungistatic	Antibacterial	Odugbemi (2006)
25	Acalypha wilkesiana Müll.-Arg.	Euphorbiaceae	Copper leaf, beef steak plant	Yoruba: Jinwinni, (Ijebu) aworoso	Leaf	antibiotic, bacteristatic, fungistatic	antimicrobials	Odugbemi (2006)
26	Acalypha wilkesiana	Euphobiaceae	Acalypha	Hausa: Jinwinni, Igbo: Jiwene, Yoruba aworoso	leaf	Ethanol	Antmicrobial	Odugbemi (2006)
27	Alchornea cordifolia_(Schum. & Thonn.)	Euphorbiaceae	Christmas bush, Oliver	Yoruba: èpa, esin, Hausa: bambami, Igbo: ubebe,	Leaf	Alkaloids glycosides, saponins, steroids tannins, astringents	Antiaborifacients	Burkill (1985):
28	Euphorbia hirta l	Euphobiaceae		Hausa: udani Igbo:	Whole plant	Alkaloid, glycoside, tarderpenoids, sterols	Antibacterial, anti-diarrhoea, Anti-asthmatic,	Onwukaeme (1993)
29	Jatrophacurcas L.	Euphorbiaceae	Red fig nut flower	Lapalapa (Yoruba)	Leaves	Volatile oil, Curcin, Saponins, Tannins	Antimicrobial, antiseptic	Thomas (1989)
30	Mallotus oppositifolius (Geisel) mull. Arg.	Euphorbiaceae		Ukpo (Igbo), Kafar mutuwaa (Hausa), Eja (Yoruba)	Leaves	Alkaliods, phenols, anthocyanins, butacyanin, flavonoids, steroids and tannins	Anti-malarial and inhibits fungal growth.	Farombi et al., 2001
31	Phyllanthus amarus	Euphorbiaceae	Stone breaker	Ite kwonwa nazu (Igbo), Geeron tsutsaayee (Hausa), Eyin olubi (Yoruba), Ebebenizo (Benin).	Whole plant	Insulin, Saponin, Tannins.
32	Ocimum gratissimum L	Lamiaceae	Clove basil, Sweet basil, tea bush, Scent leaf or fever plant	Efinrin (Yoruba), Nchu-anwu, Ahuji (Igbo), Daidoya (Hausa)	Leaves, Essential oils	Curcumin, flavonoids, isoflavone, flavones, anthocyanin, catechin and isocatechin; Alkaloids, Saponins, Cardiac glycosides and Anthraquinones	It prevents breast cancer and fat accumulation. It inhibits growth of disease causative microorganisms (antimicrobial). It has antioxidant activity and also preventing the formation of oxidized Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL), which is considered to induce cardiovascular disease	Obho (2006) Amic et al., (2003); Nwinyi et. al. (2009);
33	Allium cepa Linn	Liliaceae	Onions	Alubosa (Yoruba)	Bulbs	Alicin, quercetin, allyl propyl disulfide	Prevents irregular heart beat and abnormal blood pressure. It also prevents cancers, coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), bronchitis, dry or stubborn cough and blood clots.	Ozougwu and Eyo (2011)
34	Allium sativum L.	Liliaceae	Garlic	Aayu (Yoruba)	Bulbs	peptides, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenols	Anti-bacteria and also prevents high blood pressure	Gill, 1992
35	Erythrophleum suaveolens Guill. & Perr.	Leguminosae	sassy, sasswood, red water tree and ordeal tree	Obo Erunobo, olu-obo, Ajeku, Obo (Yoruba), Gwaska (Hausa), inyi,akpa. (Igbo)	Stem bark	Saponins	Anti-oxidants, antiviral, Antihelminthic, antimicrobial, anticancer	Lawal et al, 2010; Akinpelu et al, 2012
36	Abelmoschus esculentus_(Linn.)	Malvaceae	Okro, lady's fingers.	Yoruba: ila	Fruit	alkaloids. uricant. aromatic substances	antibiotic, bacteristatic, fungistatic	Odugbemi (2006)
37	Hibiscus sabdariffa L.	Malvaceae	Red Sorrel	Yakuwa (Hausa), Karasu (Kanuri), Tabwa (babur)	Whole plant	Protocatechuic acid	Anti-malaria
38	Sida acuta Burm. F	Malvaceae	Horn bean leaf	Esoketu, Iseketu (Yoruba)	Leaves, Roots	Alkaloids, Phenols, Fatty acids, Coumarins, Sterols, Triterpenoids	Antipyretic and has inhibitory activity against disease causing bacteria	Iroha et al 2009
39	Azadirachtaindica (A.Juss.)	Meliaceae	Neem	Dongoyaro	leaves	Quinine	Anti-malaria.	Lawal et al, 2010
40	Azadirachta indica A.Juss.	Meliaceae	Neem	Dongoyaro	Leaves	Quinine	Anti malaria, insecticide	Lawal et al, 2010
41	Acacia polyacantha Wild.	Mimosaceae		Edi (Yoruba)	Bark	Alkaloid, Tannins, Saponins, Resins	Anti-malaria
42	Pentacletha macrophylla Benth	Mimosoideae	Oil bean tree	Igbo: ugba, ukpaka, akpaka Ijaw: ukpakara Yoruba Apara	Leaves	Saponin, tannins, paucine	Anticarcinogenic	Onwukaeme (1993)
43	Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam	Moraceae	Jack fruit		Fruits	dihydromorin, steppogenin, norartocarpetin, artocarpanone, and artocarpesin	Anti-ulcer	Lawal et al, 2010
44	Moringa oleifera Lam.	Moringaceae	Drumstick tree	Moringa	Leaves, Seeds	Saponins, Riboflavin, Sterols	Antioxidants, antimicrobial	Odugbemi (2006)
45	Passiflora foetida L	Passifloraceae	Stinking passion flower	Nine-nine	Roots, Leaves, Fruits	chrysoeriol, apigenin, luteolin, kaempferol, isoschaftoside, 2′-xylosylvitexin, isovitexin and vitexin	Antispasmodic, antibacterial, antihypertension, antiproliferative activity on human breast adenocarcinoma	Moongkarndi et al., 2004
46	Cymbopogon citrates	Poaceae	Lemon grass	Kooko oba (Yoruba) Isauri (Hausa), Achara ehi (Igbo Ikon (Efik).	Leaves	Essential oils (e.g Citral), Limonine, Camphene, citronella, Geraniol, Alkaloids.	Anti-malaria.	Odugbemi (2006)
47	Piper guineense Schum	Piperaceae	African black pepper	Iyere, Ata-iyere (Yoruba)	Fruits, Leaves, Seeds	alkaloidal amides (Piperanine, dihydrowasanine, isobutyl-(E,E)-2, 4-decadienamide)	Antipyretic, Antiemetic, antiparasitic, antimicrobial and antifungal activities	Ngane et al., (2003); Ekanem et al., (2004)
48	Piper nigrum L.	Piperaceae	Black pepper	Uziza (Igbo), Iyere (Yoruba), Masoro (Hausa)	Fruits	eugenol, kaempferol, myrcene, piperine, quercetin, chavicin and rutin black pepper.	It inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines that are produced by tumour cells (anti-tumourigenic). It is also immunostimmulatory, stomachic, carminative, anticholestrolemic and anti-oxidant. It also inhibits the growth of malaria parasite.	Shaba et al. (2012)
49	Peperomia Pellucida L.	Piperaceae	pepper elder		Bark	alkaloids, flavonoids, tannin, saponins and Tepernoid	Prevents gout, anti-arthritic, Anti-cancer, Antioxidant, antimicrobial, antfungal	Odugbemi (2006)
50	Citrus aurantifolia	Rutaceae	Orange (Lime)	Olome (Igbo), Osan-wewe (Yoruba) Lemun tsami (Hausa), Lemun tsamtsam (Kanuri)	Fruit, Leaves	Ascorbic acid, asparagine, acetic acid, essential oils.	Anti-malaria	Odugbemi (2006)
51	Capsicum annum	Solanaceae	Ball pepper	Hausa: kananan barkomo Yoruba: Ata wewe Igbo: ose ogologo	Fruits, and leaves	Capsaicin, capsaicinoids	Antimicrobial, prevention of heart attack and stroke	Odugbemi (2006)
52	Cola millenii K. Schum	Sterculiaceae	monkey cola	Obi-edun (Yoruba)	Fruits	phytosterols, polyphenols (tannins, flavonoids), saponins, alkaloids, saponin glycosides, steroids and triterpenoids, glycosides, hydrolysable tannins, phenols and volatile oils	Antiviral, reduces the low density lipoprotein, i.e. the cholesterol involved in depositing fat in the Arteries prevent blood clotting which can reduce risk of heart attack or stroke.	Lawal et al, 2010
53	Cucurma longa L.	Zingiberaceae	Tumeric	Tumeric	Roots	Curcumin, Tumeric oils, Terpenoids	It prevents cancerous growth. It also aids digestion of fats. It helpful in preventing the blockage of arteries that can gradually cause a heart attack or stroke	Odugbemi (2006)
54	Zingiber officinale Roscoe	Zingiberaceae	Ginger	Ginger	Rhizome	Gingerols, shogaols, zingerone and paradol	It prevents chilblains and circulatory problems such as Raynaud's disease. It is highly antiseptic, activating immunity and dispelling a whole variety of bacterial and viral infections. It also inhibits blood clotting.	Ozougwu and Eyo (2011)