CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of study

The plant kingdom in particular has proven to be the most successful in the treatment of nearly
all ailments and they also provide an important source of raw materials for the world’s
pharmaceutical. Nearly all cultures from the old to the present day have used plants as sources of
medicines and the number is on the increase due to the escalating cost and toxic complications of
sophisticated medical care.

The use of plants to cure diseases dates back to the Stone Age. The regional committee for
Africa of the world health organization (WHO) reported that 34 percent of member states have
legal framework for traditional medicine as at 1990 (WHO,2002) There has been an
advancement in pharmacological discoveries over the years that has resulted in the production of
many synthetic drugs. This therefore shows the worth of medicinal plants in drug discovery. The
antimicrobial compounds found in plants are of interest because of the emergence of multi drug
resistant (MDR) bacteria, which is a major cause of treatment failure in many infectious diseases
and which is becoming a worldwide public health concern (Mora et al., 2005).

Africa is a Continent endowed with a great diversity of plants, many of which are medicinal.
African medicinal plants rank highest among plants used for the investigations of antimicrobial
properties. Africans and other humans have long used plants for the local treatment of infections
such as cough, intestinal disorders, respiratory problems, sore throat, gonorrhea , syphilis and
rheumatic pains (Abinu et al., 2007). A number of research studies have gone into finding
bioactive compounds of plant origin with pharmacological properties to be used in the design of
new drugs with lesser side effects. The enormous medicinal importance of bush cane (Costus.
afer) makes it serve as one of the plants to attract this kind of research.

The bush cane (Costus. afer) is a rhizomatous herb also known as ginger lily (Anyasir et al.,
2014). Bush cane belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. It is one of the 150 species of all
perennial and rhizomatous grasses that make up this family (Aweke et al., 2007). It is pan
tropical with about seventy species, of which forty are found in tropical America, twenty-five in
West tropical Africa, and five in South-East Asia (Thankgod et al., 2014). In Africa, the plant is
found in the forest belt from Senegal to Ethiopia and in the East to Tanzania. In tropical West
Africa, it is found in the rain forest and riverbanks of countries including Ghana, Sierra Leone,
Senegal, Guinea, Togo, Cameroon, and Nigeria (Aliyu et al.,2012).

Almost every part of this plant is endowed with medicinal potentials in diseases such as malaria,
measles, diabetes mellitus, arthritis, and stomach disorders (Hassan et al., 2010). The rhizomes
of Costus. afer contain several steroidal sapogenins, dioscin, aferosides and paryphyllin C and
the flavonoid glycoside kaempferol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (Aweke, 2007). The stem and
leaf extracts of Costus. afer exhibits antioxidant and hepato protective activities (Anyasor et al.,
2013).Various solvent extracts of the plant leaves, stem, rhizomes, and roots have been studied
and reported to contain chemical compounds that could be useful in the alleviation of oxidative
stress-related conditions. Implicitly, there is the need to collate these for easy accessibility that
could enhance further research.

This context was carried out in order to provide a comprehensive knowledge concerning the
medicinal use of bush cane in Anambra state.

1.2 Statement of research problem

There has been no previous research or documented evidence on the medicinal use of bush cane
in Anambra State. Therefore, this present a study was conducted to provide a baseline data on the
medicinal use of bush cane(Costus. afer) in Anambra State.

1.3 Justification of the study

This study will provide information on the medicinal use of bush cane in Anambra state.

1.4 Aims and objectives of the study

This research is aimed at providing information on the medicinal use of bush cane in Anambra
state.

The specific objectives of the study includes

i. To study the bush cane as a plant.

ii. To study the medicinal properties of the bush cane

iii. This present investigation was carried out to ascertain its antiinflammatory, anti-microbial,
anti-hemorrhagic properties.
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The bush cane

Plant has always played a major role in the treatment of human traumas and diseases. Medicinal
plant according to the World Health Organization (WHO) has been described as any plant
which, in one or more of its organs, contains substances that can be used for therapeutic purposes
or which are precursors for the synthesis of useful drugs (WHO, 1977). Natural products lack
defined dose and potency data, they also benefit from containing many specific molecular
principles in their natural state, which possess a variety of influence on human biochemical and
physiological processes, as opposed to purified and synthetic drugs which are based on a single
molecular substance derived from the natural product (Taylor et al .,2001) . Costus. afer (bush
cane) as a medicinal plant is commonly used for traditional therapeutic and social cultural
purposes. Costus. afer (bush cane) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Costaceae. There
are various species of Costus, some of which are Costus alleni, Costus spectabilis (the floral
emblem of Nigeria) Costus amazonicus, Costus barbatus, Costus beckii, Costus spectabilis,
Costus. afer etc (Iwu, 1983). Costus. afer generally known as ginger lilly or bush cane is a herb
of many medicinal use both documented and undocumented (Oliver et al, 1960). Bush cane is a
tall perennial semi-woody herb with leafy canes to 3 m high bearing terminal inflorescences of
white and yellow flowers. It is mostly found in the forest zone in moist places from Senegal to
Nigeria and Fernando Po and widespread throughout the forest region of tropical Africa. The
plant while occurring fairly commonly in the wild, particularly in the higher rainfall areas, is
often planted in gardens. It is known as “Okpete” or “Okpoto” in Igboland, “Kakizawa” in Hausa
“tete-egun” in Yoruba and “Mbritem” in Efik all in Nigeria. Anglophone Cameroon calls it
“Monkey sugar cane”. It bears white and yellow flowers. The stem, seeds, leaves and rhizomes
are harvested from the wild plant and they contain several bioactive metabolites (Oliver, 1960).
2.2 PLANT DESCRIPTION

C. afer is a useful medicinal plant that is highly valued for its ant-idiabetic, anti-inflammatory
and anti-anthritic properties in South-East and South-West Nigeria (Soladoye et al.,2008).

The bush cane is a Perennial, rhizomatous herb of about 4 m in lenght. Bush cane Leaves are
spiral in arrangement, simple and entire; sheath tubular, closed, green with purple blotches;
ligule 4–8 mm long, leathery, glabrous; petiole 4–12 mm long; blade elliptical to obovate, 15–35
cm × 3.5–9.5 cm, base rounded to subcordate, apex acuminate, margin sparsely hairy, usually
glabrous above, sometimes shortly hairy beneath

It's Inflorescence is very compact, terminal, conical spike of about 2.5–7.5 cm long, sessile;
bracts oblong, convex, c. 3.5 cm long, densely imbricate, upper ones often smaller, apex truncate
to rounded, green with purple markings, each subtending 2 flowers; bracteoles boat-shaped, c.
2.5 cm × c. 1 cm, keel thick and ridged, pale green with pink markings and thin pink papery
margin.

The Flowers are bisexual, zygomorphic, 3-merous; calyx tube 1.5–2 cm long, teeth c. 5 mm
long, triangular, margin pink; corolla tube c. 2 cm long, hairy inside, enclosed by bract, lobes
oblong to ovate, 3–4 cm long, hooded at apex, transparent to white, labellum (lip) broadly
triangular, funnel-shaped, c. 2.5 cm × 2.5 cm, opposite the stamen, white or tinged pink towards
the margin with an orange-yellow central line to the base of the corolla tube; stamen 1, free,
petaloid, ovate, c. 3 cm × 1 cm, entire, white, anther c. 7 mm long, attached at the middle to the
filament; ovary inferior, 3-celled, style 1, filiform.

Its Fruit is an ellipsoid capsule 1 cm long, dehiscing loculicidally, many-seeded (PROTA, 2022).
Fig 2.1: Costus. afer (bushcane) seed (Google.com)
Fig 2.2: Costus. afer(bushcane) flower (Google.com)
Fig 2.3: Costus afer (bushcane) leaves. Source: (Google.com)
 CLASSIFICATION

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Spermatophyta

Subphylum: Angiospermae

Class: Monocotyledonae

Order: Zingiberales

Family: Zingiberaceae

Genus: Costus

Species: C. afer
2.3 Cultivation

Bushcane could be propagated easily by vegetative means, involving the use offsets at the base
of mother plants. Mature plant of about 2m could be cut into 30cm pieces with 3-4 nodes. In
addition, its horizontal rhizomes could be used as root cuttings for large scale production of the
species in the nursery (Olowokudejo, 2008)

2.4 Traditional therapeutic uses

About 70-80% of the world population depends on traditional healthcare based on medicinal
plants. Indigenous people of Africa employ at least 20,000 plant species for medicines and
related purposes (Melchias, 2001). Some medicinal plants used in Nigeria are as efficient as
modern medicine. In addition to medicinal properties many of the plants are high in protein,
vitamins, mineral and carbohydrate for both human and livestock.

Many scientists have reported on ethno-botanical and ethno-pharmacological characteristics of

medicinal plants. Their findings revealed different properties of these medicinal plants. Such
properties include: antihelminthic and antimicrobial characteristics. Most of the findings were
primary and secondary data gathered from traditional herbal practitioners and herbal dealers
(Makanjuola et al., 2008)
 CHAPTER THREE

MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Description and study area

The study was carried out in Omogho area of Orumba North Local government area of Anambra
state. The map of the study area is shown in fig 3.1. It has an area of 320.6km2. The area is
situated at Longitude 7° 5' E and Latitude 6° 4' N. This study was carried out between the
months of June to August, 2022.
Fig 3.1: Map of Orumba North Local Government Area showing study site.
3.2 Collection of Plant Samples

Fresh stems and leafs of Costus afer were obtained from Omogho in Orumba North Local
Government Area of Anambra State. They were authenticated by a Plant taxonomist at the
Department of Botany, Nnamdi Azikiwe university , Anambra state. The stems were cut
into pieces, sun dried and later grinded into fine powder with the aid of a clean dry
electric grinder after which it was stored in an air tight container.

An online search was conducted with the key words 'bushcane', 'C. afer’ and ‘sugar cane’. The
year limits of articles used were published from1960 to 2022, in accordance with the Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Considering that all its parts are medicinal or with medicinal compositions as listed in table
1.
 DISEASES PARTS OF BUSHCANE REFERENCES
(C.afer) USED FOR
TRTEATMENT

arthritis Leaves, stem Iwu et al.,1982

Genital herpes Stem Ngono et al., 2011

Inflammation Stem Omokhua, 2011

Diabetes mellitus Stem, leaves rhizome Udeme et al., 2012

Wound healing Leaves Aweke ,2007

Hepatic disorders Leaves Anyasor , 2014

Ear infection Leafy stem Chukwuma et al., 2015

Fever Leaves Aweke ,2007

Table 4.1: Parts of bush cane and the diseases they cure
Aphrodisiac Leaves, stem, rhizome Chukwuma et al., 2015

Miscarriage Leaves Anyasor , 2014

Malaria Leaves Aweke ,2007

Stomach ache Leaves Aweke ,2007

chicken pox Stem Ngono et al., 2011

Jaundice Leaves Aweke ,2007

Table 4.2: Proximate compositions of different part of Costus afer (Boison et al, 2019)
Table 4.3: Mineral composition of the leaf, stem and rhizome of Costus afer (Chukwu et al,
2017)
Table 4.4: Saponin composition of Costus afer stem ( Anyasor et al, 2014 )
Table 4.5: Flavonoid composition of Costus afer stem (Lebbie et al, 2019)
Table 4.6: Leaf essential oil composition of Costus afer (Taiwo et al, 2003)
4.2 Discussion

The diferent parts of bush cane are juxtaposed with the diseases they cure. The leaves of
bushcane is used in treatin a pandemic disease known as diabetes mellitus ( Udeme at al, 2012).
Other parts of the bushcane plant also have their medicinal uses as clearly shown in Table 4.1.

The various constituents making up the different parts of the bushcane plant such as its flavonoid
and saponin compositions are clearly shown in Tables 4.2 – 4.6

The use of plants as for medicinal purposes has been a primitive one with low cost and highly
efficacious compared to synthetic drugs.
 CONCLUSION

The indigenous people OF Anamra state are quite dependent on their flora, thus making the use
of plants and plant products as medicina alternatives both within and between various
communities a success.