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Plant Collection
The Unit's herbalist assists in plant collection and collaboration with Traditional herbalists. The Medicinal Garden in the Teaching and Research Farm contains some Medicinal Plants which could be upgraded to commercial level with funding.
Plant Processing
There is availability of two ovens used to dry plants before they are powdered using the Christy Grinding Machine. Few equipment can be found in the laboratory for plant extraction. These include Soxhlet apparatus, Buchii Rotary evaporator while Vacuum Liquid Chromatographic apparatus, Column for Column Chromatography, thin Layer Chromatographic tank; spreader and template are available for purification of active components.
The biology laboratory has facilities for assay of plant molluscicides, insecticidal, insect repellent studies, antitrypanosomal (in vivo studies), anti-malaria (in vivo) studies in rodents, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Some of the available equipment include Centrifuge, Thermajust Hotplate, D.R./2000 Spectrophotometer, Dry Oven, Gallenhamp Incubator, Refrigerator, Laminal flow, and Compound Microscope.
There are no facilities for spectroscopic analyses but could be done at the Central Laboratory.
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