Abstract:
In Côte d’Ivoire, the leaves of the genus Corchorus species are used in traditional medicine. The plants concerned are
Corchorus aestuans,
C. lobatus,
C. olitorius and
C. tridens. The empirical reason advanced is the richness in iron of the leaves of these plants. The present study is about the iron content of the leaves of these species in order to verify this traditional conception. The study showed that the leaves of the
Corchorus species analyzed are indeed rich in iron, but in varying proportions.
Corchorus aestuans is the richest in iron with a content of 568.30 ± 0.26 mg / kg. According to the statistical tests, there is no significant difference for
P < 0.001 between this level and that of
Moringa oleifera (677.70 ± 0.37 mg / kg), used as reference taxon in this study. In relation to the three (3) other
Corchorus species analyzed:
C. lobatus,
C. olitorius and
C. olitorius, there is no significant difference between the iron contents of these three species. However, there is a significant difference between the iron contents of these three plants and that of
C. aestuans for
P < 0.001. There is also a significant difference between the iron content of these last three species of
Corchorus and the iron content of
Moringa oleifera. The empirical use of the leaves of
Corchorus species in Côte d'Ivoire could have a scientific basis in view of the importance of iron in the constitution of blood.