Abstract

The present study was designed to evaluate the phytochemical composition (qualitative and quantitative) as well as the antitermitic activity of EtOH (ethanol) seed extracts of fifteen medicinal plants. Different bioassay were used for the determination of phytochemical constituents and flavonoids, saponins, tannins and alkaloids contents were found to ranged from 0.65 to 15.18%, 0.54 to 8.60%, 0.08 to 27.71% and 0.34 to 12.47%, respectively; while the qualitative analysis of methanolic extracts also revealed the presence of glycoside, steroid, cardiac glycosides and terpenoid. The EtOH extracts of fifteen medicinal plant seed showed excellent antitermitic activity and the LT₅₀ of Foeniculum vulgare, Peganum harmala, Psoralea corylifolia, Ricinus communis, Croton tiglium, Mentha species, O. sativum and Capsicum frutescens was found lower than 10 h, while Nigella sativa, Allium sativum, Plantago ovata, Azadirachta indica and Melia azadirachta showed LT₅₀ values above 35 h in 10% extracts. The antitermitic activities were found significantly different for 3, 5 and 10% extracts. It is concluded from the results that the medicinal plant seed extracts tested, may provide a renewable source of safe natural antitermitic agent. These findings suggest the use of seed extracts of medicinal plant to control termites population. The results reported here open the possibility of further investigations of efficacy of these medicinal seed extracts to control termites population practically.

Key words: Medicinal plant, phytochemical analysis, antitermitic activity, ethanolic extract.