Comparative physicochemical studies on Carica papaya linn. Leaves collected in different seasons from different locations in Kaduna state

Carica papaya L. is one of the traditionally important medicinal plants belonging to the family, Caricaceae. It is well known for its nutritional value as well as medicinal usefulness in treating various disease conditions. Herbal medicines are prone to contamination, adulteration, and or substitution; to prevent these, it is always essential to lay down quality control and standardization parameters. The objective of the study is to compare the physicochemical parameters of C. papaya L. leaves collected at different seasons from five different local government areas of Kaduna State. Physicochemical parameters namely; moisture content, ash values (total ash, acid insoluble and water soluble ash), extractible values, foaming index, and swelling index, were determined according to the WHO guidelines of quality control methods of herbal materials. Significant difference (P≤0.05) was observed in the percentage of moisture content for rainy and dry seasons with sample in rainy season having the highest (15.58 %) in Makarfi compared to Soba with the lowest (6.5 %) in dry season. Total ash, acid insoluble and water soluble ash values also differed significantly  (P≤0.05) based on the seasons and sites of collection. Water, as extracting solvent yielded higher amount of extractible substance than ethanol. The length of the foam was found to be less than 1 cm foaming indicating a foaming index of less than 100. The results of the swelling index were also compared and significant differences between the samples at P≤0.05 were observed. The physicochemical parameters of C. papaya leaf evaluated were found to vary based on seasons and sites of samples collection. Keywords: Carica papaya, Physicochemical, Comparative, Seasons, Kaduna