Chemical analysis of the hexane/ethyl acetate fractions of Ficus sur stem extracts

Natural products, such as plants, remain the most readily available remedy for many human problems. The free oxygen we breathe in comes from plants and many more nutritional and health benefits which are yet to be discovered. This is the reason why the hexane/ethyl acetate fractions of Ficus sur extract were analyzed. The proximate analysis, phytochemical screening and mineral content analysis were carried out using standard methods. The proximate analysis of the stem bark indicated 60.12%, 20.35% and 8.37% respectively for carbohydrate, crude fibre and moisture content. The presence of active phytochemical constituents such as alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics and eugenols was detected. Among the minerals present in the stem bark was potassium which gave the highest concentration of 17.7 ppm. Others were sodium (12.60 ppm), calcium (5.62 ppm), magnesium (1.63 ppm), Iron (5.30 ppm) and chrome (0.05). This study suggests that the plant samples have useful phytochemicals and minerals which can have useful pharmacological effects and also serve as nutritional supplements.