Indigenous medicinal plants used in folk medicine for malaria treatment in Kwara State, Nigeria: an ethnobotanical study

Abstract

Background Folk medicine is crucial to healthcare delivery in the underdeveloped countries. It is frequently used as a primary treatment option or as a complementary therapy for malaria. Malaria is a deadly disease which greatly threatens global public health, claiming incredible number of lives yearly. The study was aimed at documenting the medicinal plants used for malaria treatment in folk medicine in Kwara State, Nigeria. Methods Ethnobotanical information was collected from selected consenting registered traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) through oral face-to-face interviews using in-depth, semi-structured interview guide. The ethnobotanical data were analysed, and descriptive statistical methods were used to compile them. Results Sixty-two indigenous medicinal plants, including 13 new plants, used for malaria treatment were identified in this study. The TMPs preferred decoction in aqueous solvent (34%) and steeping in decaffeinated soft drink (19%) for herbal preparations. Oral administration (74%) was the main route of administration, while leaves (40%) and stem barks (32%) were the most dominant plant parts used in herbal preparations. The most cited families were Fabaceae (15%) and Rutaceae (6%), while Mangifera indica (77.14%), Enantia chlorantha (65.71%), Alstonia boonei (57.14%) followed by Cymbopogon citratus (54.29%) were the most used plants. Besides, the antimalarial activities of many of the plants recorded and their isolated phytocompounds have been demonstrated. Furthermore, the conservation status of 4 identified plants were Vulnerable. Conclusion The study showed strong ethnobotanical knowledge shared by the TMPs in the State and provides preliminary information that could be explored for the discovery of more potent antimalarial compounds.

Ethnobotanical knowledge and practices of pastoralist communities on plants used as repellents and/or insecticides against insect vectors in the Korahaye zone of the Somali Regional State, eastern Ethiopia

“…Here, the family with the greatest number of species was Fabaceae. Likewise, studies conducted elsewhere in Ethiopia [14], Cameroon [31] and Nigeria [35] showed relatively greater numbers of insect-or mosquito-repellent and/or insecticide-related plant families of the Fabaceae. This nding contradicts other ndings showing that the Asteraceae family consistently produces a large number of plant species in different parts of Ethiopia [36,37] and elsewhere [32].…”

Aqueous extract of Enantia chlorantha Oliv. demonstrates antimalarial activity and improves redox imbalance and biochemical alterations in mice

“…These efforts are critical to achieving the WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria goal of reducing the malaria burden globally by 90% in 2030 [22]. The large deposits of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30], make them important sources for the identi cation of effective antimalarial therapeutic leads. Enantia chlorantha Oliv.…”

“…is an ornamental tree belonging to the Annonaceae family with a wide distribution in Nigeria and other Central and West African nations. Enantia chlorantha, also known as African yellow wood, is called "Dokita Igbo" in Yoruba, and "Erenba-vbogo" among the Binis in Nigeria [31,27], and "Epoue" in Baka in Cameroun [32]. It is widely used to treat and manage malaria in traditional settings in Nigeria [27] (Evbuomwan et al, 2023), Cameroun [33], as well as hepatitis, jaundice, tuberculosis, and urinary tract infections [34,33].…”

“…It is widely used to treat and manage malaria in traditional settings in Nigeria [27] (Evbuomwan et al, 2023), Cameroun [33], as well as hepatitis, jaundice, tuberculosis, and urinary tract infections [34,33]. Oral administration of E. chlorantha stem bark decocted in water is used for the treatment of malaria symptom including chills, fever, and joint pains [35,27]. The analgesic and antipyretic [36], anticonvulsant and antiin ammatory [37], antimicrobial [38,39] and antimalarial activities [40] of the plant have been reported.…”

“…To our knowledge, the antimalarial e cacy of E. chlorantha, one of the most used plants for malaria treatment by traditional medicine practitioners in Kwara State, Nigeria [27], has not been su ciently evaluated scienti cally, resulting in a knowledge gap due to scarcity of evidence-based data. Consequently, this study demonstrates the antimalarial activity of E. chlorantha aqueous stem bark extract (EcASBE) in P. berghei NK65 infected-mice.…”