Efficacy and constituents of locally formulated anti-arthritic remedy produced from coconut oil and Sida acuta

Abstract

Medicinal plants have been utilized since antiquity in the treatment and management of epidemics, pandemics and plethora of illnesses including their usage in physical and manipulative medicine. The information’s on their healing properties and potentials has been handed down or transmitted from generations to generations through hundreds of years within and among human groups, cultures and traditions in folklore medicine without proper documentation. This study investigated the phytochemicals composition and efficacy/potency of locally prepared anti-arthritis remedy. Coconut oil and Sida acuta leaves were used for the formulation of the remedy. Sida acuta plant was collected at 6:00am, the leaves were removed and washed thoroughly with tap water and rinse with distilled water and dry in a shade for two weeks before being pulverized into fine powder. The coconuts were slide into pieces and blended into a paste, mixed with clean warm water and filtered, then poured into a pot to boil for about an hour, the coconut oil was obtained and allowed to cold before transmitted into air tight container. The coconut oil was poured into a clean pot and heated for five minutes, the pulverized Sida acuta leave was added to the heated coconut oil and allow to boil for few minutes until it turned greenish-black. The mixture was allowed to cold and then filtered with a new handkerchief or cheese clothes; the filtered oil was stored in a well labeled air-tight containers before being distributed to our volunteers with established cases of arthritis. The remedy was given to one hundred (100) already diagnosed patients with osteoarthritis for topical application/massage. The application was done twice daily for three (3) weeks and questionnaires were used as a tool to obtained feedback from our volunteer (Patients). The phytochemical result showed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, alkanoids, saponins, terpenoids alongside many essential fatty acid/oils as shown by the GCMS result. The feedback from our tool used (questionnaires) showed that 65% of our volunteers reported complete disappearance of inflammations and its associated pains while 35% reported drastic reduction but slight pains and mild inflammations associated with arthritis still persist. This may have been as a result of the presence of various flavonoids, terpenes, alkaloids etc alongside the presence of essential fatty acids/oils in the preparation as confirm by the GCMS result. Conclusively, from our labouratory screening and report/feedback from our four liked scale questionnaires, the locally made anti-arthritic remedy prove to be effective in reducing the pains and inflammation observed among arthritic patients and movement restored for those who could not move for a long time due to associated pains and inflammation(s).