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No doubt, emergence of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum (CRPF) has further made treatment of malaria in children more complicated, so contributing immensely to the deterioration of malaria therapy and control in Nigeria.
Malaria, caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, is one of the leading infectious diseases in many tropical regions, including Nigeria, where transmission occurs all year round. The high cost of malaria treatment has left the poor masses of Nigeria heavily reliant on traditional practitioners and medicinal plants as remedies against fever and other symptoms of malaria.
Surprisingly, a review of studies into medicinal plants used to treat malaria across all ethnic and cultural groups in the country showed that there were more than 110 plants varieties. The review entitled, “Medicinal plants used in Nigeria for the treatment of malaria” was documented by 2011 edition of Journal of Ethnopharmacology. It involved J.O. Adebayo from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Ilorin, Ilorin in collaboration with A.U. Krettlia.
They included plants such as leaves of Newbouldia laevis (Akoko leaf in Yoruba), Enatia chlorantha (African yellow wood, Iyani or Awopa in Yoruba), Eupatorium odoratum (ogbogbo or Ibo- ofo in Yoruba), Bridelia micrantha (abere-aluko or akisan in Yoruba), Cajanus Cajan (Pigeon pea in English, olele in Edo, shingwazo in Gwari), Carica papaya (pawpaw). In addition, were stem bark of plants such as Abrus precatorius (omisinmisin in Yoruba), Afzelia Africana (Mohogany bean tree), Psidium guajava (guava) Anacardium occidentale (cashew plant), Blighia sapida (Achee, Akee, Akee or Apple Tree), Alchornea cordifolia (baushe in Hausa, edo in Igbo and idi-odan in Yoruba). Also include were stems of Citrus sinensis (sweet orange), Cymbopogon giganteus (Oka eye in Yoruba), Khaya senegalensis (African mahogany, madachi in Hausa and ono in Igbo), Mangifera indica (mango) as well as onion bulbs and ginger.
Alstonia boonei (awun in Yoruba) is highly priced, especially in situations where affordable antimalarial drugs are found ineffective, due to drug-resistant malaria parasites. The plant stem bark or leaves are administered as decoction or “teas” and sometimes as an ingredient in malaria “steam therapy”.
Recently, researchers in the 2008 edition of Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, formulated the stem bark extract of this plant into tablets, and made this available as an antimalarial remedy.
Plants such as neem is used in traditional medical practice in form of an aqueous decoction of the leaves, stem bark and root. Due to the importance of this plant as an antimalarial remedy in Nigeria, efforts were made to produce the tablet and suspensions of the bark and leaf, which exhibited effectiveness in preventing malaria and treating mild cases of malaria.
Carica papaya, commonly referred to as pawpaw, is widely grown in the tropics for its edible fruit and also used as a weak decoction of its leaves against malaria.
Most of these antimalarial plants are used in form of monotherapy, and only a few plants are taken together in combined therapies. An example is the multi-herbal extract referred to as ‘Agbo-Iba’ made up of Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea) leaf, Euphorbia lateriflora leaf, Mangifera indica leaf and bark, Cassa alata leaf(Asunwon in Yoruba), Cymbopogon giganteus leaf, Nauclea latifolia leaf, and Uvaria chamae bark.
Another multi-herbal combination is the mixture of Carica papaya leaves, Cymbopogon citratus leaves, Anacardium occidentale leaves and neem leaves used in ‘steam therapy’, in which the patients are covered with a thick blanket and made to inhale the vapour from the cooking pot.
Pharmacological studies have demonstrated under laboratory conditions antimalarial effects of extracts from 45 plant species used in Nigerian folk medicine out of the 51 species tested. These included neem, Morinda lucida (brimstone tree, oruwo in Yoruba and eze-ogu in Igbo), Khaya grandifoliola (African mahogany), Tithonia diversifolia (Wild Sunflower; ogbo or Agbale in Yoruba), Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leave or ewuro in Yoruba), Momordica balsamina (Balsampear or ejinrin in Yoruba) and Picralima nitida (abere in Yoruba).
Previous studies on neem attributed its antimalarial effect to it affecting all stages of the malaria parasite in the body unlike artemisinin and primaquine that seem to affect only the immature stages of the malaria parasite.
It should be noted, however, that some of these extracts exhibited very high antimalarial activity in laboratory tests carried out on the malaria germ in the test tube but displayed poor activity in animals infected with malaria germ. A good example is neem, which is widely used around the world in indigenous medicine for the treatment of malaria.
Nonetheless, with over 110 plants used by the indigenous populations to treat different diseases, especially malaria in the endemic areas of transmission, the researchers declared that there was the possibility of studies determining those of these plants that could be useful in rolling back malaria.
They wrote: “One hopes that these discoveries of active compounds from plants will generate more effective drugs, affordable and available to the rural people who are mostly at risk of the disease morbidity.”
Written by Sade Oguntola Thursday, 03 February 2011
Malaria, caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, is one of the leading infectious diseases in many tropical regions, including Nigeria, where transmission occurs all year round. The high cost of malaria treatment has left the poor masses of Nigeria heavily reliant on traditional practitioners and medicinal plants as remedies against fever and other symptoms of malaria.
Surprisingly, a review of studies into medicinal plants used to treat malaria across all ethnic and cultural groups in the country showed that there were more than 110 plants varieties. The review entitled, “Medicinal plants used in Nigeria for the treatment of malaria” was documented by 2011 edition of Journal of Ethnopharmacology. It involved J.O. Adebayo from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Ilorin, Ilorin in collaboration with A.U. Krettlia.
They included plants such as leaves of Newbouldia laevis (Akoko leaf in Yoruba), Enatia chlorantha (African yellow wood, Iyani or Awopa in Yoruba), Eupatorium odoratum (ogbogbo or Ibo- ofo in Yoruba), Bridelia micrantha (abere-aluko or akisan in Yoruba), Cajanus Cajan (Pigeon pea in English, olele in Edo, shingwazo in Gwari), Carica papaya (pawpaw). In addition, were stem bark of plants such as Abrus precatorius (omisinmisin in Yoruba), Afzelia Africana (Mohogany bean tree), Psidium guajava (guava) Anacardium occidentale (cashew plant), Blighia sapida (Achee, Akee, Akee or Apple Tree), Alchornea cordifolia (baushe in Hausa, edo in Igbo and idi-odan in Yoruba). Also include were stems of Citrus sinensis (sweet orange), Cymbopogon giganteus (Oka eye in Yoruba), Khaya senegalensis (African mahogany, madachi in Hausa and ono in Igbo), Mangifera indica (mango) as well as onion bulbs and ginger.
Alstonia boonei (awun in Yoruba) is highly priced, especially in situations where affordable antimalarial drugs are found ineffective, due to drug-resistant malaria parasites. The plant stem bark or leaves are administered as decoction or “teas” and sometimes as an ingredient in malaria “steam therapy”.Recently, researchers in the 2008 edition of Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, formulated the stem bark extract of this plant into tablets, and made this available as an antimalarial remedy.
Plants such as neem is used in traditional medical practice in form of an aqueous decoction of the leaves, stem bark and root. Due to the importance of this plant as an antimalarial remedy in Nigeria, efforts were made to produce the tablet and suspensions of the bark and leaf, which exhibited effectiveness in preventing malaria and treating mild cases of malaria.
Carica papaya, commonly referred to as pawpaw, is widely grown in the tropics for its edible fruit and also used as a weak decoction of its leaves against malaria.
Most of these antimalarial plants are used in form of monotherapy, and only a few plants are taken together in combined therapies. An example is the multi-herbal extract referred to as ‘Agbo-Iba’ made up of Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea) leaf, Euphorbia lateriflora leaf, Mangifera indica leaf and bark, Cassa alata leaf(Asunwon in Yoruba), Cymbopogon giganteus leaf, Nauclea latifolia leaf, and Uvaria chamae bark.
Another multi-herbal combination is the mixture of Carica papaya leaves, Cymbopogon citratus leaves, Anacardium occidentale leaves and neem leaves used in ‘steam therapy’, in which the patients are covered with a thick blanket and made to inhale the vapour from the cooking pot.
Pharmacological studies have demonstrated under laboratory conditions antimalarial effects of extracts from 45 plant species used in Nigerian folk medicine out of the 51 species tested. These included neem, Morinda lucida (brimstone tree, oruwo in Yoruba and eze-ogu in Igbo), Khaya grandifoliola (African mahogany), Tithonia diversifolia (Wild Sunflower; ogbo or Agbale in Yoruba), Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leave or ewuro in Yoruba), Momordica balsamina (Balsampear or ejinrin in Yoruba) and Picralima nitida (abere in Yoruba).
Previous studies on neem attributed its antimalarial effect to it affecting all stages of the malaria parasite in the body unlike artemisinin and primaquine that seem to affect only the immature stages of the malaria parasite.
It should be noted, however, that some of these extracts exhibited very high antimalarial activity in laboratory tests carried out on the malaria germ in the test tube but displayed poor activity in animals infected with malaria germ. A good example is neem, which is widely used around the world in indigenous medicine for the treatment of malaria.
Nonetheless, with over 110 plants used by the indigenous populations to treat different diseases, especially malaria in the endemic areas of transmission, the researchers declared that there was the possibility of studies determining those of these plants that could be useful in rolling back malaria.
They wrote: “One hopes that these discoveries of active compounds from plants will generate more effective drugs, affordable and available to the rural people who are mostly at risk of the disease morbidity.”
Written by Sade Oguntola Thursday, 03 February 2011
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