Abstract

Ficus thonningii is highly neglected and underutilized plant. It is a traditionally important plant used in the treatment of various diseases such as malaria, dysentery, diabetes, diarrhea, eye problem as well as wound healing. Its fruits are eaten mostly by goats and when fallen, the fruits are discarded. The aim of this research was to extract the oils from ficus thonningii seeds obtained from Nasarawa State using n-hexane and ethanol and to investigate the antimicrobial activities, fatty acids profiles and phytochemicals present in these extracts. Phytochemicals screening revealed the presence of saponins, tannins, alkaloids, and flavonoids but no glycosides and steroids were detected. The seed extracts, especially the ethanol extract, possessed high antimicrobial activities. The results obtained for these microbial sensitivities showed that the seed possess great antibacterial potentials. The study has also shown that the Ficus thonningii seed contains oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids and biologically active phytochemicals which could have medicinal uses.