ANALYSIS OF THE BIOACTIVE AND MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTENTS OF HERBAL MIXTURES SOLD IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

anthraquinones, anthraquinones +

. In Nigeria, the trend is currently receiving attention from the scientific and industrial community (Falodun & Imieje, 2013). The rise in health-related complications and the search for possible treatments and possible cures has led to the patronage of herbal drugs (Ogunsola & Egbewale, 2018). It has been dependent on treating many diseases ( Thomford et al., 2015).
The most common herbal mixtures found across Nigeria include Goko cleanser, Yoyo Bitters, Swedish Bitters, Osa herbal mixtures, Osomo, Alomo, Oroki, Okanga Powder, and Deep root, among others. However, this study is concerned with Okanga powder, Deep root herbal mixture, and Goko cleanser. Okanga powder is a popular plant product used for various purposes, including detoxification, laxative functions, and treatment of infections. The primary active ingredient includes citrus aurantifolia, Mangifera indica, psidium guajava, carapolobia lutea, rilachia longpediculata, Xylopia aetiopica, and Nauclea diderichi.
The demand for these herbal products is increasing, and their prevalence use has been reported ( . Nevertheless, there is little or no mechanism available to checkmate the production and bacteriological contents of these herbal medicines being sold all over the Nation. Hence, it can pose a threat to human health. The purpose of the current study is to ascertain the microbiological status and phytochemical constituents of some selected herbal products (Okanga powder, Deep root herbal mixture, and Goko cleanser) sold by roadside herbal merchants.

Collection of Samples
Goko cleanser, Okanga Powder, and Deep root herbal mixtures were collected from the local dealers around Awka, Anambra State.

Microbiological analysis
The determination of the microbial loads of the selected herbal products was conducted in accordance with the method outlined in (Esimone et al., 2001).

Discussion:-
The current study was aimed to analyze the microbiological and phytochemical constituents of some selected herbal mixtures sold in Nigeria. The phytochemical tests revealed that the herbal products contain alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, anthraquinones, tannins, and saponins. The result showed that in okanga powder, alkaloids and tannins were moderately present (+ +), flavonoids and anthraquinones were present (+), while saponins glycosides were absent (-). In the goko cleanser, the presence of anthraquinones was much higher (+ + +), alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, and flavonoids were present (+) while saponins were absent (-). In the deep root, herbal mixture, the presence of anthraquinones was also very high (+ + +), alkaloids, glycosides, and flavonoids were moderately present (+ +), while saponins and tannins were absent (-). Indeed, the active constituents of herbal mixtures comprise more than one plant or active component, and their therapeutic efficacy is not guaranteed by a single group of compounds (Okunlola et al., 2007). The combination of different plants is essential in boosting the therapeutic efficacy of herbal products. The phytochemical revelation of the herbal products is consistent with previous studies (Agbo &Mboto, 2012;Okunlola et al., 2007). Most of the phytochemical compounds associated with herbal drugs such as alkaloids, flavonoids, anthraquinones, tannins, saponins, and many others constitute the secondary metabolites of plants that function to protect against many microorganisms. Alkaloids, one of the commonly found phytochemicals in the plant, have been shown to possess antibacterial functions. Flavonoids, glycosides, anthraquinones, tannins, and saponins exhibit various biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties.
Furthermore, the result of the microbial count indicates the presence of varying microorganisms such as S. aureus, E. coli, Salmonella, and Klebsiella spp in the herbal products ranging from 1.0 x10 3 to 1.4 x 10 4 . All the herbal products were contaminated with E. coli which is implicated in intestinal sickness typically caused by unhygienic situations. Okanga powder and goko cleanser are free of S. aureus and Salmonella but are contaminated with Klebsiellaspp. Deep root herbal mixture is contaminated with S. aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella and is free from Klebsiella spp. The presence of pathogenic organisms in herbal medicine products can lower or inactivate the therapeutic efficacy of the products and has the potential to affect the consumers adversely. The presence of the microorganisms indicates a high level of exposure and carelessness at any production level (Brooks et al., 2004). All the isolated organisms in the study have been linked with health concerns. Nevertheless, these pathogenic organisms may find their way into the herbal mixtures due to inadequate hygienic practices and insufficient decontamination and materials.

Conclusion:-
The result of the study indicates that the herbal mixtures under investigation that are widely sold in every area in the Anambra state contain certain phytochemicals responsible for the therapeutic effectiveness of the drugs. However, there is a concern about microbial contamination associated with these herbal medicines. The microbial analysis conducted on the selected herbal drugs shows that the products contain a varying level of pathogenic organisms capable of undermining the drugs' efficacy and the consumers' well-being. Due to the high patronage of these products and the concern of substandard herbal medicines, the current study recommends continuous scientific assessment of the herbal products sold in the market. Additionally, adequate precaution in production and storage hygiene should be encouraged. The present study contributes to traditional medicine literature by affirming the therapeutic efficacy and prevalence of consuming harmful herbal drugs in Nigeria.