Medicinal Plants Research Group

Medicinal plants are gaining popularity because of several advantages such as fewer side-effects, better patient compliance, relatively low cost and high accessibility as well as high acceptability due to a long history of use. Traditional herbal medicines that formed the basis of health care since the earliest of days are still widely used. In developing countries, traditional herbal medicines are often used in great numbers with application of indigenous knowledge. Since traditional healers are spread throughout rural areas in developing countries and there is often lack of an efficient primary health care system, they are widely consulted by patients with major ailments like HIV/AIDS, diabetes mellitus, fever, high blood pressure, etc. The increasing reliance on the use of medicinal plants in the industrialized societies has been traced to the extraction and development of several drugs and chemotherapeutics from these plants as well as from traditionally used rural herbal remedies. Traditionally, herbs and herbal products have been considered to be nontoxic and have been used by the general public and traditional medicinal practitioners worldwide to treat a range of ailments. The active ingredients of plant extracts are chemicals that are similar to those in purified medications, and they have the same potential to cause serious adverse effects. Whilst the literature documents severe toxicity resulting from the use of herbs, on many occasions the potential toxicity of herbs and herbal products has not been recognized. It is on the basis of the above submissions that the Medicinal Plant Research Group was initiated.

Aims and objectives
The Medicinal plant research group was set up to promote the cause of medicinal plant research and to harness through scientific approaches the rich deposits of our God endowed natural plant species.
The specific objectives of the group shall be:
1. To identify local plant species of medicinal relevance with little or no scientific documentations.
2. To conduct in vitro screening of plant extracts for antimicrobial, antioxidant, antimalarial, anticancer, and antiviral activities.
3. To conduct in vivo studies to in order to determine the safety limit and protective properties of plant extracts.
4. To qualitatively screen for the phytochemical activities of plant extracts.
5. To purify, isolate, and structurally elucidate bioactive compounds from plants.
6. To source for local and international grants to execute all our researches.
7. To regularly intimate and encourage group members on available
conferences, workshops, fellowships and other opportunities

Funding
The source of funding shall be mainly through research grants and students’
research projects.

Meeting Time
First Tuesday of every month.