Physico-chemical properties and fatty acids composition of two fats used in ethno-medicinal treatment of arthritis in Southwestern Nigeria: Vitellaria paradoxa and Python sebae

Formulations of shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa) and python fat (Python sebae) are common among the elderlies, who suffer from bone inflammation and arthritis in Southwestern Nigeria, as topical applications on the skin to effect relief from such conditions. Physico-chemical properties and fatty acids of these two lipids were investigated using standard methods. Some of the physico-chemical values include refractive indices (1.46, 1.46), iodine values (49.09, 50.52 mgI2/g), peroxide values, (11.10, 11.35 meqO2/Kg) and saponification values (150 and 172 mgKOH/g) for P. sebae and V. paradoxa respectively. The principal fatty acids in V. paradoxa are oleic (C18:1, 55.2%) and stearic acids (C18:0, 25.6%), and in P.sebae are myristic (C14:0, 32.0%) and oleic (C18:1, 29.2%) acids. The total saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in P. sebae were 61.6% and 37.5% respectively. These were an opposite of the trend observed for V. paradoxa (34.7%, 64.8 %).

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