Dacroydesedulis is a plant with many trado-therapeutic claims.The seeds are used traditionally as a remedy for stomach problems like diarrhoea, dysentery etc. Raw seeds of D.edulis were exhaustively extracted using hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol. These extracts were phytochemically screened for presence of reducing sugars, anthroquinones glycosides, saponins glycosides, flavonoids, steroids,terpenoids, tannins and alkaloids. Resultsshowed presence of free anthraquinones, steroids/triterpenes, tannins, saponins, alkaloids and flavonoids. The anti-microbial screening of extractsshowed sensitivity against nine microbes:Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigelladysenteriae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiellapneumoniae and fungi: Candida albicans, Trichophytomrubrum and Microsporum sp. The chloroform extract, using diameter of zone of inhibition of the extracts as criteria for inhibitory strength, exhibited highest inhibition against the pathogens that were sensitive to the extract with Klebsiellapneumoniae being most inhibitive (23 mm). Chloroform extract showed highest growth inhibitory effects (Minimum Inhibition Concentration) for the microbes at concentration of 1.25 mg/mL. All other extracts had MBC/MFC (Minimum Bactericidal/ Fungicidal Concentration) value of 5 mg/mL. This lends credence the trado-medicinal claims on the seed ofDacroydesedulis as remedy for stomach problems.
