Ethnodietetics of Moringa oleifera leaves amongst the Ethnic Groups in Bida, Niger State, Nigeria and its Hypoglycaemic Effects in Rats

The consumption pattern of human is highly influenced by socio-cultural and economic factors. An ethnodietary preparation is a dish eaten by a specific tribal or ethnic grouping which is generally a soup and usually made up of several plant-derived ingredients. Since ancient times, Moringa oleifera has been known with numerous ethnodietary values in many traditional societies around the globe. Nutritional analyses show that the leaves are very rich in all essential vitamins and minerals as well as proteins which are most uncommon in the available diets to the rural dwellers in Nigeria. The Moringa plant is the most inexpensive and readily alternative to good nutrition as well as providing cure and prevention of diseases. In fact, Moringa leaves displayed a wide array of pharmacological activities, but unfortunately, the people who need this information most are the rural dweller that consumes the leaves but are unaware of its usefulness. Moringa is especially promising as a food source in the tropics because the tree is in full leaf at the end of the dry season when other foods are typically scarce which can be used alleviating poverty. To explore the ethnodietetic uses of Moringa oleifera leaves amongst the ethnic groups in Bida, Niger State and investigate one of its potential values in the treatment of diabetes by assessing its hypoglycemic effects. Structured questionnaires were administered to both sexes within the age group of 10 to 79 years. Standard procedures were used to study the effects of Moringa oleifera extracts (stem bark, leaves and root bark) on some biochemical and hematological variables in alloxan-induced rats. The findings revealed that the plant is mainly consumed as salad by Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups (15%) as food, while other ethnic groups (Nupe 65%; Yoruba 10%; Kakanda 5%; Jaba 2.5%; Bwala 2.5%) used it as food as well as medicine in the treatment of diseases including diabetes. The result showed increased body temperature (39.3oC to 40oC) and blood glucose level (250mg/dl to 500mg/dl) in alloxan-induced rats when compared to the control (Temperature=37.3oC, blood glucose= 60mg/dl), while general decrease in body weight was observed in alloxan induced rats. 15mg/dl of blood glucose was reduced in the group treated with M. oleifera stem bark. The liver transaminase (GPT) was generally low in experimental groups than the control. The alkaline phosphate is 248 iu/l (least) in the control than experimental groups. The packed cell volume (PCV) and hemoglobin level were generally reduced in alloxan induced rats. The groups treated with the root bark have higher neutrophil than lymphocytes above other experimental groups. The report also indicates the presence of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins and steroids which are responsible for its hypoglycemic effects. The present results support the traditional usage of this plant for treatment of diabetes since its administration can lower the blood sugar levels which prevent complications associated with diabetics. Further studies on toxicity of the extracts of M. oleifera as well as their hypocholesterolemic properties are recommended