Ethnopharmacological survey of six medicinal plants from Mali, West-Africa

Abstract

An ethnopharmacological survey was carried out to collect information about the use of six medicinal plants in the regions around Siby and Dioila, Mali. The plants investigated were Biopyhtum petersianum, Cola cordifolia, Combretum molle, Opilia celtidifolia, Parkia biglobosa and Ximenia americana.More than 60 medical indications were reported for the use of these plants in traditional medicine. The most frequently reported ailments were malaria (25.6%), different types of pain (14.0%) and dermatitis (7.4%). The main forms for preparation were decoction (58.1%) and powdered plant material (28.4%). The most frequent used plant parts were leaves (37.7%) and stem bark (18.6%). The healers' consensus for the main indications is fairly high for the four plants B. petersianum, C. cordifolia, C. molle and O. celtidifolia, and this supports the traditional use of these plants. However for P. biglobosa and X. americana the healers' consensus is less consistent and it is more difficult to draw conclusions about the most important traditional use of these two plants.

Antimalarial Activity and Isolation of Phenolic Compound from Parkia biglobosa

“…The stem bark and leaf of African locust bean tree are used traditionally for the treatment of malaria [4,25]. In vivo and in vitro antiplasmodial activities of leaves of P.biglobosa had already been evaluated by Builders et al [12], studies on the efficacy of the stem bark of this important medicinal plant had already been reported by Builders et al [20], and also anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of this plant had been reported by Kouadio et al [26].…”

Effect of Combretum molle (Combretaceae) seed extract on hematological and biochemical parameters

“…Despite wide use of C. molle as medicinal plant for treatment of various ailment including helminthic, protozoal, bacterial and other infectious diseases in different parts of Africa (McGaw et al, 2001;Fyrquist et al, 2002;Bussmann et al, 2006;Grønhaug et al, 2008), studies conducted on its in vivo toxicity test is scanty. According to the traditional practice of the local community, the seed of the plant is used after it is extracted by water as a solvent.…”

Preparation of Decoction of Medicinal Plants: A Self-Help Measure?

“…1,2 In fact, preparation of plant-based remedies at the household level is often seen as a self-help measure. However, our recent field experiences with Psidium guajava (guava) leaf decoction (PGLD) as an antidiarrheal remedy revealed that preparation of a home-based remedy could be a limiting factor toward use of local medicinal plants.…”