Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used in the Management of Hypertension in the Maritime Region of Togo

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases in modern societies and there is evidence that its incidence and severity are increasing. This survey was conducted to investigate the plants used by the Togolese traditional healers to treat the disease. Method: From January to June 2016, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire with traditional healers (TH) in the southern region of Togo. The importance of the plants was assessed by the calculation of the use value (UV). Results: In Total, 128 TH male and female were interviewed and 116 plants species belonging to 46 families were identified as treating hypertension. The most represented families were: Fabaceae with 16 species followed by Euphorbiaceae and Rutaceae contributing with 8 and 6 species respectively. Based on the calculated use values the most important species were Byrsocarpus coccineus Schum. The leaves and the roots were the parts of plant predominantly used to prepare the recipes, mainly decoctions administrated by oral route. Clinical manifestations such as dizzy spells, swarming, loss of consciousness, severe headache, severe anxiety and shortness of breath, nosebleed, and fear of heights were used by TH to diagnose the disease. Conclusion: This study showed initial evidence of the use of plant materials by Togolese TH to treat hypertension. These results constitute a database for pharmacological screenings with the aim of developing new therapies.

Étude ethnobotanique des plantes alimentaires utilisées en médecine traditionnelle dans la région Maritime du Togo

“…La présente étude avait pour objectif de recenser les plantes aux potentiels nutritionnel et thérapeutique utilisées dans la région Maritime du Togo. Auparavant, des études ont été menées dans cette région concernant : le paludisme (Koudouvo et al, 2011 ;Agbodeka et al, 2016), le diabète (Gbekley et al, 2015), les atteintes pathologiques du foie (Kpodar et al, 2016), les maladies cardiovasculaires (Gbekley et al, 2018). Cette étude qui concerne les plantes aux potentiels nutritionnel et thérapeutique répond à l'inquiétude grandissante du double fardeau nutritionnel qui menace la santé au Togo.…”

Albizia Adianthifolia: Botany, Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacological Properties

“…The bark, leaves, and roots of A. adianthifolia are used as herbal remedies against diarrhoea, dysentery, and stomach ache in the DRC, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania [ 26 , 30 – 36 ]. The leaves of A. adianthifolia are used as herbal remedies against hypertension in Togo [ 37 ], which is one of the most common chronic diseases in modern societies. There is, therefore, a need for further research aimed at correlating some of the ethnomedicinal uses of A. adianthifolia to the phytochemical and biological activities of both the crude extracts and chemical compounds isolated from the species.…”

Revue sur l’Ail et ses Composés Bioactifs

“…Des études scientifiques sont menées par des institutions tels que l'I.R.S.S (Institut de Recherche en Science de la Santé) et PHYTOFLA du Burkina Faso, le DMT (Département de la Médecine Traditionnelle) du Mali, au Bénin la maison de la Feuille, et au Togo, CERFOPLAM (Centre de recherche et de Formation sur les Plantes Médicinales) et le Centre Omnithérapeutique Africain (COA). Les exploits de ces centres de recherche sur la médecine traditionnelle et les prouesses réalisées expliquent le regain d'intérêt des plantes médicinales (Gbekley et al, 2018).…”

“…Depuis bien longtemps, les Hommes traitent leurs maux avec les plantes. Parmi celles-ci, l'Allium sativum L. (ail), bien connu dans la population, comme possédant de nombreux bienfaits en passant par le traitement de l'insuffisance veineuse, l'hypertension, l'action antibactérienne, et bien d'autres (Gambogou et al, 2018;Gbekley et al, 2018). L'ail se retrouve sous différentes formes ayant divers composés plus ou moins concentrés.…”