PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF MIRACLE LEAF

The plant, also known by local name the miracle leaf, has been known a long time to have an excellent wound-healing effect due to its vernacular name. The main compositional parts of Kalanchoe pinnata leaves were measured and phytochemical profile of the plant was determined in an 80 per cent ethanol extract to determine the therapeutic value of the plant in skin repair. Preliminarily proximate composition of the taken leaf material was as follows: ash 15.0 percent, moisture 30.0 percent, protein 12.7 percent, crude fiber 2.65 percent, fat 3.6, and carbohydrates 1.22. Such results show that the plant has a nutrient-enriched and which could form the foundation behind the medicinal use of plants. The ethanol extract was then subjected to phytochemical screening that revealed a wide range of secondary metabolites namely, alkaloids, saponins, steroids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannin and terpenoids thus indicating a complex pharmacological potential. The flavonoid contents of 99.68mg/100g and the alkaloid (88.84mg/100g) content were determined quantitatively. After them, in decreasing concentration, there were terpenoids 76.17mg/100g, saponins 64.74mg/100g, steroids 39.58mg/100g. Combined with the positive macro-nutrient profile they prove the opinion that K. pinnata has significant health beneficial effects in terms of synergistic relationships between its active components and its nutritional framework. The phytochemical components present are widely known to have antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-repair activities and all these properties are part of the wound-healing process. The overwhelming presence of flavonoids and alkaloids especially and the terpenoids in a certain degree highlight the therapeutic importance of the plant and foregrounds the long history of its use as a traditional herb and justifies its selection as a developing natural medicine extract.