Medicinal plants and the treatment of diabetes in Senegal: survey with patients

Abstract

Diabetes is the most common metabolic disorder worldwide and is a major public health problem. Its frequency increases every day in all countries. However, in developing African countries, few people have access to drugs. In addition, in Africa, traditional beliefs induce people to use medicinal plants whenever they have health problems. Thus, many people in these developing countries use plants for the treatment of diabetes. Yet, few studies are focused on the knowledge and attitudes of the users on medicinal plants in Africa in general and in Senegal in particular. Hence we undertook this survey on the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of diabetes in Senegal in order to make recommendations which could contribute to the increase of the value of herbal medicines in developing countries. We did a cross-sectional survey by direct interview at a university teaching hospital, in Dakar with a representative sample of 220 patients. Forty-one plants were used by the patients and the two most frequently cited were Moringa oleifera Lam (65.90%) and Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich) Hochst (43.20%). Patients gave several reasons for using medicinal plants (traditional treatment: 40%, efficacy: 32%, low cost: 20%). The principal suppliers of plants were tradesmen in the market (66.8%) and traditional therapists (5%). Sixty-five per cent of patients think that medicinal plants are efficient for the treatment of diabetes and 20% have reported adverse effects which could be caused by medicinal plants. In conclusion, many people in our study think that medicinal plants are efficient for the treatment of diabetes, which requires research work by scientists in developing countries in this field in order to prove their efficacy and innocuousness.

Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae) stem-bark extract corrects glycaemia in diabetic rats and acts on β-cells by enhancing glucose-stimulated insulin secretion

“…Hochst.) (Anacardiaceae) is one of the plant species widely used in Africa against various diseases, including diabetes (Dieye et al 2008). In a cross-sectional survey conducted in Dakar, 43% of patients attending consultancy at the hospital declared using S. birrea (Dieye et al 2008).…”

Therapeutic potential ofMoringa oleiferaextracts against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

“…The higher concentration of ascorbic acid, estrogenic substances, and β-sitosterol, vitamins, and particular essential amino acids such as methionine, cysteine, tryptophan and lysine present in Moringa leaves and pods make it virtually an ideal nutritional supplement (Adejumo et al, 2012). Therapeutic use of Moringa edible parts in many regions of Africa as well as Asia, it is widely consumed for self-medication by patients affected by diabetes, hypertension, or HIV/AIDS (Dièye et al, 2008;Kasolo et al, 2010). It possesses various biomedical properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifertility, anticancer, antihepatotoxic, and antiulcer activities (Goyal et al, 2007).…”

Anti-Hyperglycemic and in-Vitro Antioxidant Effect of Kigelia Pinnata Fruit.

“…This imbalance generally lead to oxidative stress which is the main factor associated with the severity and death in diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is a major cause of disability, figuring among the top ten killers worldwide (Dieye et al ,2008).Conflicting results have been reported for the role of oxidative stress in diabetes. F2-isoprostanes are prostaglandin like compounds formed in-vivo from free radical catalyzed peroxidation of arachidonic acid and have emerged as novel and direct measures of oxidative stress.…”