Safety Evaluations on Tawa-tawa (Euphorbia hirta) decoction utilizing the Sensitive Allium Test

Abstract


This Science Investigative Project is knowing the safety and efficiency of the Tawa-tawa. We used the Sensitive Allium Test on the onion bulbs seated atop a Gerber bottle containing a Tawa-tawa decoction with water. The growth of roots from the onion bulb showed that the solution was not toxic whatsoever. 


The Study aims to:
To determine the different phytochemical constituents of tawa-tawa (Euphorbia hirta) decoction.
To determine the cytotoxic effect of tawa-tawa decoction at (1) 100%, (2) 10%, (3) 25% and (4) 50% concentrations utilizing Alllium test
To determine the phytochemical constituents that produced cytotoxic effect.






Hypothesis
It was Hypothesized that there is no significant difference in the ctotoxic activity of (1) 100%,(2) 10%, (3) 25% and (4) 50% concentrations of tawa-tawa decoctions.



Definition of:
Alkaloid- Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basicnitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties.
Flavonoid- Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids) (from the Latin word flavus meaning yellow, their colour in nature), are a class of plant secondary metabolites. It is referred to as Vitamin P (probably due to the effect they had on the permeability of vascular capillaries) from the mid-1930s to early 50s, but the term has since fallen out of use.
Terpenoid-sometimes called isoprenoids, are a large and diverse class of naturally occurring organic chemicals similar to terpenes, derived from five-carbon isoprene units assembled and modified in thousands of ways.
Collection of Tawa-Tawa plants.

Preparation of Decoction of Tawa-tawa Leaves.
Phytochemical Analysis of Tawa-Tawa.
Allium test- Cytotoxicty Testing (Allium cepa Bulb Mitotic Assay)


Findings
Phytochemical analysis showed that most phytochemical constituents are high on toxicity. The growth of roots from an onion bulb was a sign of less toxicity, in which this occurred in the Gerber bottles that contained less than 25% Tawa-tawa decoction only. As for the controls, only the negative control showed growth of roots from the onion bulb.


Conclusion
Based on the experiment undertaken, we conclude that Tawa-tawa is a safe medicinal plant if one considers the source of the plant, purification and the ratio of its decoction to water.