PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF SENNA DIDYMOBOTRYA FRESEN IRWIN ROOTS USED AS A TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL PLANT IN KENYA

Abstract

Medicinal plants play an important role in the treatment of various illnesses in Kenya and the whole world. Senna didymobotya is one of such plants used traditionally in Kenya to treat illness es such as diarrhea , malaria , ringworm, jaundice and intestinal worm . The main aim of t his study was to analyze the phy tochemical composition of the plant roots . Chemical tests for the screening and identification of bioactive chemical cons tituents in the medicinal plant was carried out in crude root extracts using standard procedures . From the analysis , it was demonstrated that steroids, terpenoids, anthra quinones, tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids and phenols were found i n the roots of the plant