Nutritional analysis of some selected medicinal plants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan

Plant biodiversity contribute significantly to human health, nourishing and nurturing them and alleviating their acute and chronic diseases. Plants not only served as curing agents since long but also providing basic nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, fat etc. These nutrients have essential role in supporting human body requirements for vigor, used in different physiological and morphological functions. In present study, Cucumis sativus, Portulaca oleracea, Malus baccata, Saxifraga flagillaris, Geranium wallichianum and Monotheca buxifolia, were assessed for their nutritional and proximate composition (ash, moisture, protein, carbohydrates and fat) subjected to Association of Official Analytical Chemist (AOAC) procedure based to their ethno botanical importance. In results, the comparative assessment of these selected plants showed that Carbohydrates was highest in Monotheca buxifolia (74.27%), followed by Geranium wallichianum (64.68%) and Saxifraga flagillaris (62.79%). Ash content was highest in Portulaca oleracea (26.44%), followed by Malus baccata (22.83%) and Cucumis sativus (20%). Malus baccata possessed highest percentage of moisture (18.69%). Saxifraga flagillaris has highest percentage of protein (4.37%). Cucumis sativus consisted of highest percentage of fat (14%). It is concluded from the present study that medicinal plants play crucial role in human life and are praiseworthy springs of food nutrients and therapeutics associate in human health.


Introduction
From dawn of civilization human depend mostly on plants for nutrition and also for the extenuation of illnesses.Natural plants harvests continuously subsidized broadly to the isolation of contemporary medicine and still possess a noteworthy part in finding of newer medication.Human use an extensive variety of plant derivative as food, drug and nutritional increments [1].Plants providing rudimentary healthcare to the fringe people of the biosphere.Plants possessed basic nutrients like fats, protein, carbohydrates etc. along with phytochemical residents of the plants which are imperative medicinally and these are accountable for growing and change of living being.Plants are used both as raw and in liquid mixtures form for treatment of diseases locally without perceiving their nutritional composition which is important for the proper physiological functioning of the human body [2, 3].Plants either used as vegetables or as medicines, nutritional and proximate assessment paly important role in their activities which they exert in-vivo or invitro [4].According to World health organization, 80% of the world's population is reliant on plant products for their livelihood.Pakistan possess a large number of medicinal plants which are used locally in curing various diseases.Due to the presence of biologically active ingredients in these medicinal plants, plants are not only used as anticancerous agent, as antimicrobial agents, anti-inflammatory etc but they also used as to provide nutrients to human health.Therapeutic and nourishing excellence of the plants can be obtained by proximate and nutritional assessment.The ash content is imperative due to the mineral present in the plant which may be responsible for any therapeutic result [5].The superiority and magnitude of proteins in the plant parts has essential role in the assortment of plant parts as nutritient value, in classification and plant development and conservation plants

Materials and methods
The proximate analysis (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, moisture and ash) of all plant samples were determined by using AOAC methods [8].Determination of moisture 3 gram of dry plant material was taken in a Petri plate and placed in oven at about 105 0 C for 6 hours, cooled in desiccator and moisture content was calculated using the following formula; Moisture (%) = Weight of fresh sample -Weight of dry sample × 100 Weight of sample Determination of ash 1.0±.01 gm of dried plant materials was taken in a weighted crucible and burnt over low flame.The crucible was then placed in furnace at 550 0 C for 3 hours until white ash was obtained.The percent ash was calculated as; Ash (%) = (%) weight of sample after ashing × 1 0 0 Weight of sample Determination of fat Soxhlet extractor was used to get fat content of the sample.5gm of plant material were put on paper thimble and run for six hours on heating mantle.The percent crude fat was determined by using formula (AOCS, 2000); Crude Fat (%) = Weight of beaker with fat -Weight of empty beaker × 100 Weight of original sample

Determination of protein
Plant sample was added to the digestion mixture (copper sulphate: Potassium sulphate: ferrous sulphate: 1:18.5:0.25 (w/w/w) and 20 mL of concentrated sulphuric acid was added to the flask and boiled for 2 hours.The digest was transferred to the distillation assembly and 10 mL of 40% sodium hydroxide solution was added to the digest in the assembly.This process was followed by titration to remove the ammonium borate formed in distillation process.The percent protein was calculated by the following formula; Protein (%) =1.4 × 6. 25 5).

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Comparative proximate composition of selected medicinal plants, using AOAC method

Figure 2 .
Figure2.Showed Ash content, the selected medicinal plants showed different percentage of ash content, using AOAC method Determination of moisture The moisture composition of selected medicinal plants were showed in (Figure3) 18.69 was the highest percentage in Malus baccata fruit which is followed by Cucumis sativus seeds with 16.26 percentage and Saxifraga flagillaris rhizome showed 15.5 percent of moisture.Portulaca oleracae seeds, Monotheca buxifolia leaves and Geranium wallichianum rhizome showed 11.14, 11.17 and 10.27 percent of moisture respectively.

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Showed Moisture content of selected medicinal plants, all these selected plants showed various percentage of moisture content, using AOAC method

Figure 5 .
Figure 5. Showed carbohydrate content of these selected medicinal plants, all selected plants possess nearly same percentage of carbohydrate, using AOAC method

Showed comparison of fat content among the selected medicinal plants, where the Cucumis sativus have high percentage as compared to other selected plants, using AOAC method
Determination of fatThe fat content of Cucumis sativus seeds was the highest with a value of 14%.Saxifrage flagillaris rhizome and Monotheca buxifolia leaves showed 7.42 and 7.7% fat content.