TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page        –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           i

Certification   –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           ii

Dedication      –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           iii

Acknowledgements    –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           iv

Table of contents        –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           v-vi

CHAPTER ONE : INTRODUCTION        –           –           –           –           –           1-3

CHAPTER TWO: TAXONOMY OF FLUTED PUMPKIN       –           –           4

2.1       Phytochemical constituent of the plant          –           –           –           –           5-6

2.2       Nutritional and Anti-nutritional constituent of fluted pumpkin         –           7-8

2.3       Toxicity of fluted Pumpkin    –           –           –           –           –           –           8-11

CHAPTER THREE: NUTRITIONAL AND MEDICINAL BENEFITS OF FLUTED PUMPKIN

3.1       Medicinal Benefits of fluted pumpkin           –           –           –           –           12-13

3.2       Pharmacological Activities of fluted pumpkin          –           –           –           14

3.2.1    Antioxidant Activity  –           –           –           –           –           –           –           14-16

3.2.2    Antidiabetic Activity  –           –           –           –           –           –           –           16-18

3.2.3    Anxiolytic/Sedative Activities           –           –           –           –           –           18-19

3.2.4    Antinociceptive/Analgesic Activities            –           –           –           –           19

3.2.5    Hepatoprotective Activity      –           –           –           –           –           –           20-21

CHAPTER FOUR: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

4.1       Summary        –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           22-23

4.2       Conclusion      –           –           –           –           –           –           –           –           23

               References

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Vegetables and fruits include a diverse group of plant foods that vary greatly in content of energy and nutrients, and are universally promoted as healthy. Additionally, vegetables and fruits supply dietary fiber which has been linked to lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. Vegetables and fruits are important sources of vitamins and minerals in diets which contain phytochemicals that function as antioxidants and reducing the incident of oxidative stress. The anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antipyretic and antioxidant activities of some medicinal plants such as Vernonia amygdalina, Calotropis procera, Ocimum gratissimum, Carica papaya, Telfairia occidentalis and Carcinia kola (kolaviron) are well documented.

Telfairia occidentalis Hook f. also known as fluted pumpkin is one of the most commonly consumed leafy vegetables in Nigeria, employed both for culinary and medicinal purposes. The plant is grown in the rain forest zone of many nations of West Africa but occurs mostly in its cultivated from in various parts of Southern Nigeria. It is popularly called ‘Ugu’ in Igboland and Ikong-Ubong in the Efik/Ibibio language, where the young shoots and leaves are the main ingredient of Nigeria edikang ikong soup.

Telfairia occidentalis is a darkish green leafy vegetable popularly used in soup and folk medicine for the management of many disease in Nigeria. Telfairia occidentalis which belongs to the family of curcurbitaceae, is a dioceous, perennial vine shrub and partially drought tolerant. The plant consists of a root, stem, elaves, fruit and seed. The stem has branching tendril, the leaves are divided into 3-5 leaflets, the fruits are pale green weighing between 3 and 10 kg and the seeds are 3-5 cm wide.

Fasuyi reported that Telfairia occidentalis contains nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, oils, minerals and fiber. Phytochemical evaluation of the vegetable reveals that it contains oxalates, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids and resin. The toxicity of Telfairia occidentalis has been attributed to the alkaloids and saponins presents in the roots and leaves, while the free radical scavenging activity, chemopreventive and protective effects of the plant have been reported to be due to the presence of high amount of flavonoids and phenolic compounds. This review therefore, provides an insight into the toxicity, high nutritional value and antioxidant, antidiabetic, anxiolytid sedative, noviveptive/analgesic, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, reproductive and neuroprotective activities of Telfairia occidentalis.