Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used as Anti-Obesity Remedies in the Nomad and Hunter Communities of Burkina Faso

Traditional uses, phytochemicals, and biological properties of Saba senegalensis

The fruit of Saba senegalensis is respectively known among local folks in Ghana, Senegal, and Burkina Faso as εsononantin, maad and weda. The plant has been used traditionally, ethnobotanically, and medicinally in most West African countries. The phytochemicals that have been discovered in various extracts of S. senegalensis parts include alkaloids, coumarins, anthracene glycosides, anthocyanosides, anthocyanins, coumarins, flavonoids, saponins, saponin glycosides, sterols, condensed tannins, tannins, triterpenes, and triterpenoids. Presently, isolation and characterisation of phytochemicals from various parts of S. senegalensis has not been fully explored since scientists have isolated only two steroidal alkaloids from the stem of the plant namely Irehine and Homoandrost-9-ene-17β,17aβ-diol-3β-(methylamino)-17aα-methyl-12-one. The phytochemicals have shown biological properties such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, anti-microbial, analgesic, larvicidal, ovicidal, myostimulant, hypotensive, anti-diabetic, anti-lipid peroxidation and anti-mycobacterial effects. Additionally, isolation and characterisation of medicinally beneficial phytochemicals from various parts of the plant, namely latex, leaf, stem, flower, root, fruit, and bark should be comprehensively investigated. Thus, this current review summarises the traditional uses, phytochemicals, and biological properties of various parts of the plant.

Convective drying of Gardenia erubescens fruits: Effect of pretreatment, slice thickness and drying air temperature on drying kinetics and product quality

Gardenia erubescens fruits are regarded as nutrient-dense, capable of promoting nutritional and metabolic human health. However, they are seasonal and highly perishable which limits their consumption and wider utilization. In this study, the effect of slice thickness (3 mm and 5 mm), pretreatments (steam blanching and dipping in ascorbic acid solution) and drying air temperature (40 °C, 50 °C, 60 °C and 70 °C) on drying kinetics, color, β-carotene and vitamin C content of Gardenia erubescens fruits were investigated. The results showed that the drying time increased as slice thickness increased, and decreased as drying air temperature increased but did not follow any trend for pretreatment. The Page model (R2 values of 0.9998-0.9999) exhibited the best fit to the drying kinetics data. The diffusivity values (5.31 × 10-11 to 4.14 × 10-10 m2s-1) increased as the slice thickness and drying air temperature increased but had no linear trends with pretreatment. The activation energy ranged from 14.35 to 44.78 kJmol-1, with the highest being recorded by 5 mm untreated samples and the lowest by the 3 mm blanched samples. The total color change (ΔE*) of the samples generally decreased as the drying air temperature increased but increased as the slice thickness increased. The ascorbic acid pretreated samples had the least color change, followed by the untreated samples while the blanched samples had the highest change. Overall, the 5 mm ascorbic acid pretreated samples dried at 70 °C had the least color change (13.33 ± 0.52). The blanching and dipping in ascorbic acid solution generally yielded lower β-carotene and vitamin C values as compared to the untreated samples. The 3 mm ascorbic acid pretreated samples dried at 50 °C recorded the lowest β-carotene (42.70 ± 3.21 μg/100 g) while the 5 mm ascorbic acid pretreated samples had the lowest vitamin C (37.50 ± 2.65 mg/100 g) at 70 °C. Pretreatments and drying air temperatures showed mixed effects on the drying characteristics, color, β-carotene and vitamin C contents of fruit slices. The findings, therefore, indicate that a compromise may have to be made on the aforementioned processing conditions in order to meet the desired attributes of one's interest.

Ethnobotanical Study of Traditional Medicinal Plants Used for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases by Local Communities in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mbelwa, Mzimba District, Northern Region, Malawi

Local communities in Mzimba District, Malawi, have limited access to healthcare services and often rely on traditional medical practice and medicinal plants (MPs) for most of their medical care. However, phytomedicines’ use has not been well documented. This study aimed to identify and document medicinal plants and the associated ethnobotanical knowledge. Ethnobotanical data were collected in seven localities (19 villages) in the T/A Mbelwa, Mzimba, from May to June 2021. Forty traditional healers, herbalists, and farmers selected purposively and by snowball sampling were interviewed through semi-structured interviews, field observations, group discussions, and guided field walks. Quantitative indices, viz. relative frequency of citation (RFC), use value (UV), relative importance (RI) values, informant consensus factors (ICFs), and fidelity levels (FLs), were used to analyze the data. Eighty MPs belonging to 43 families and 77 genera were recorded. The Leguminosae family showed the highest number of species (16), followed by Solanaceae, Rubiaceae, and Phyllanthaceae. Trees (35 species) and roots (62%) accounted for the most significant habit and part, respectively. Washing (29%) was the most common preparation method. The most cited plant was Zanthoxylum chalybeum (RFC = 0.80, UV = 0.28, RI = 1.66), followed by Cassia abbreviata (RFC = 0.68, UV = 0.35, RI = 1.50). Respiratory disorders showed the highest ICF (0.53), followed by general and unspecified disorders (0.31). Z. chalybeum, C. abbreviata, and Oldfieldia dactylophylla showed maximum FLs (100%) for treating malaria and dysentery. Phytochemical, bioassay, toxicity, and conservation studies are needed to assess medicinal plants’ safety, efficacy, and quality as steps toward discovering new promising therapeutic leads without neglecting conservation programs for their sustainable utilization.

Moringa oleifera: Miracle Plant with a Plethora of Medicinal, Therapeutic, and Economic Importance

Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) is one of the most essential medicinal plants primarily found in the rainforest area and forest ecosystem, but is now well-adapted in an organized cultivation system. Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) is well-known as Drumstick tree, Moringa kai, color, Marengo, Moringe, mulangay, Sahjan, and Sajna, which are its native names commonly used. It has nourishing, beneficial, and preventive effects when taken as food and has an extensive scope of high restorative properties with huge dietary benefits. Different parts of the M. oleifera plants, such as leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and roots, contain a significant amount of protein, ß-carotene, amino acids, important minerals, and various phenolic compounds. Because of its multifarious health benefits for its therapeutic value, it is considered an essential plant. The plant is found to be blessed with several medicinal characteristics such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antipyretic, antiepileptic, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, cholesterol-level down, cell reinforcement, and hepatoprotective. Moreover, it is used traditionally in the local curative system against cardiac problems, and the antifungal properties are efficiently utilized for the treatment of a wide range of ailments. The present review article was designed to explore the nutritional and economic benefits, medicinal and therapeutic applications, and the future biomedical prospects of Moringa with a view towards human wellbeing.

Health Hazard Assessment Due to Slimming Medicinal Plant Intake

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 80% of people rely on medicinal plants for their primary health needs. Traditional medicine's principal benefits are their vast population knowledge, low severe adverse effects rate, low cost, and the lack of a medical prescription to use them. While obesity has become a global health issue, an increase in finding cheap and fast ways to lose weight escalates medicinal herbs' use for this purpose, both in dietary supplements or in teas. At the same time that Brazil aims to expand traditional medicine, reports regarding toxicology and poisoning put natural products' safety in check. Plants can accumulate heavy metals and metalloids leading to health risks; however, there is a lack of information on that matter, possibly due to a lack of international standardization regarding elemental contamination - this study aimed to determine metal and metalloid concentrations in slimming medicinal plants and their respective teas and evaluate their safety consumption. Metal and metalloid content were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). All plants and teas were within the set limits for tolerable upper intake level (UL), provisional tolerable daily maximum intake (PTDMI), and provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). The hazard quotient index (HQ) was above 1 for almost all plants, and the Hibiscus sabdariffa tea regarding aluminum content. The arsenic level was above the Brazilian Pharmacopeia limit in natura plants demonstrating risk in their consumption. Some herbs also presented detection for elements with no safety limits set, such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic, which could mark as a red flag for consumption once their security intake is not precise yet.

Traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of genus Vitex (Lamiaceae)

Vitex, the genus of the family Lamiaceae, comprises of about 230 species mostly distributed in the warm regions of Europe and temperate regions of Asia. Several Vitex species have been used as folk medicine in different countries for the treatment of various kinds of diseases and ailments. The main aim of this review is to collect and analyze the scientific information available about the Vitex species regarding their chemical constituents and pharmacological activities. The phytochemical investigation of various Vitex species has resulted in the isolation of about 556 chemical constituents belong to various chemical category viz. iridoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, lignans, sesquiterpenoids, monoterpenoids, ecdysteroids, and others. The crude extracts of different Vitex species as well as pure phytochemicals exhibited a wide spectrum of in-vitro and in-vivo pharmacological activities. In the present review, the scientific literature data on the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical, and pharmacological investigations on the genus Vitex are summarized. More attention should be given in future research to evaluate the pharmacological potential with detailed mechanism of actions for the pure compounds, extracts of plants from this genus. Moreover, their clinical study is needed to justify their use in modern medicine and to further exploring this genus for new drug discovery.

Ethnobotanical Uses, Nutritional Composition, Phytochemicals, Biological Activities, and Propagation of the Genus Brachystelma (Apocynaceae)

The Brachystelma genus (family: Apocynaceae) consists of geophytes that are traditionally utilised among rural communities, especially in East Africa, southern Africa, West Africa, and northern and western India. Apart from being used as a food source, they are indicated as treatment for ailments such as colds, chest pains, and wounds. This review provides a critical appraisal on the ethnobotanical uses, nutritional value, phytochemical profiles, and biological activities of Brachystelma species. In addition, we assessed the potential of micropropagation as a means of ensuring the sustainability of Brachystelma species. An inventory of 34 Brachystelma species was reported as a source of wild food and traditional medicine (e.g., respiratory-related conditions, pains, and inflammation) across 13 countries, predominantly in Africa and Asia. Brachystelma circinnatum and Brachystelma foetidum were the most popular plants based on the high number of citations. Limited data for the nutritional content was only available for Brachystelma edulis and Brachystelma naorojii, as well as phytochemical profiles (based on qualitative and quantitative techniques) for five Brachystelma species. Likewise, a few Brachystelma species have evidence of biological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory effects. Extensive studies on Brachystelma togoense have resulted in the isolation of four compounds with therapeutic potential for managing different health conditions. As a means of contributing to the sustainability of Brachystelma species, micropropagation protocols have been devised for Brachystelma glabrum, Brachystelma pygmaeum, Brachystelma ngomense, and Brachystelma pulchellum. Nevertheless, continuous optimisation is required to enhance the efficiency of the micropropagation protocols for these aforementioned Brachystelma species. Despite the large number of Brachystelma with anecdotal evidence as food and medicine, a significant number currently lack empirical data on their nutritional and phytochemical profiles, as well as their biological activities. The need for new propagation protocols to mitigate the declining wild populations and ensure their sustainability remains pertinent. This is important should the potential of Brachystelma species as novel food and medicinal products be achieved.

Phytochemical and antioxidant activity of Cadaba farinosa Forssk stem bark extracts

Cadaba farinosa is used in traditional medicine for treatment of cancer, diabetes, and rheumatism. The research was aimed at evaluating the phytochemical and antioxidant activity of the extracts. The powdered stem bark was extracted successively with the aid of Soxhlet extractor using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The resulting extracts were concentrated on rotary evaporator and the percentage yields were calculated. The phytochemical and TLC profiles of the extracts were studied. The antioxidant activity of the extracts and ascorbic acid (standard) were determined using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical assay. The total phenolic content of the extracts and tannic acid (standard) were evaluated using Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. The percentage yields of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts were found to be 1.19, 1.37, and 13.93%, respectively. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids, and triterpenoids. The TLC profiles of the extracts revealed the presence of compounds as evidenced from their R f values. The total phenolic content of ethyl acetate and methanol extracts were found to be 135 and 112 mg, respectively. The free radical scavenging activity demonstrated by the extracts was comparable to ascorbic acid. The ethyl acetate extract had higher phenolic content and demonstrated the highest free radical scavenging with IC50 31.07 mg/mL. The results of research have provided strong preliminary evidence of antioxidant activity which may be because of phenolic compounds in the extracts.

Review of Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Properties, Extraction Methods and Toxicology of Lannea microcarpa (African Grapes)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance:

Lannea microcarpa is an African herbal medicinal plant by pan-African distribution and has huge native medicinal and non-medicinal applications. The plant is being used traditionally as a medicine for many diseases such as mouth blisters, rheumatism, dysentery, sore throat, as a dressing on boils, as a cathartic, livestock feed, diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, malaria, dysentery, infection from bacteria, toothaches, gastroenteritis, female infertility, in blood pressure, oedema, coughing, cathartic, poisoning, and burns. It is also used in the manufacture of the cloths termed ‘basilan fini’ widely related to the concept of healing (medicine applied on cloth).

Aim of the Review:

This review aims to assemble an up-to-date review of the advancement made in the continuous pharmacological and phytochemical study of Lannea microcarpa and the consistent commercial and therapeutic application of it. These findings provide guide to the upcoming research on this plant.

Methods:

The assessment is systematically directed by searching the database of MEDLINE, PubMed, Springer, BMC, the Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, ChemSpider and Science Direct for original research articles and books using related search terms.

Result:

Pharmacological studies verified the capability of this plant as it showed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. Bioactive constituents are found to be present in all parts of the plant. So far, this plant having high antioxidant capabilities, Lannea microcarpa is composed of many chemical compounds such as vitexin, lipids, proteins & amino acids, epi-catechin, gallic acid, myricetin, iso-Vitexin, fatty acid, carbohydrates, and tannins. This plant possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial properties owing to the presence of polyphenolics & flavonoids constituents. Novel compounds with the potent antiinflammatory effects such as 4’-methoxy-myricetin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, myricetin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, and myricetin 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside among others, have been identified. Microparticles formulation of Lannea microcarpa was also prepared and further studies are still going on.

Genus Parkia: Phytochemical, Medicinal Uses, and Pharmacological Properties

The genus Parkia (Fabaceae, Subfamily, Mimosoideae) comprises about 34 species of mostly evergreen trees widely distributed across neotropics, Asia, and Africa. This review aims to provide an overview of the current status of the species from the genus Parkia in terms of its relationship between its phytochemistry and medical uses. Comprehensive information on Parkia species was retrieved from electronic databases, which were Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar. This review identified nine species from genus Parkia with properties of medicinal use. They are used traditionally to treat several ailments, such as diabetes, diarrhea, wounds, hypertension, cough, chronic piles, conjunctivitis, and measles. The most common species studied are P. biglobosa, P. speciosa, P. javanica, P. bicolor, P. biglandulosa, P. filicoidea, and P. clappertoniana. A considerable number of secondary metabolites, such as terpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids (aglycone and glycosides), and numerous volatile compounds have been identified in this genus, which are responsible for their diverse pharmacological activities. Their extracts, pure compounds and seed lectins have been reported for their anticancer, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antiulcer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimalarial, hepatoprotective, and antidiarrheal activities. The information gathered in this review might be of help for future studies in terms of the current knowledge on the link between the phytochemical components and medicinal uses. This could facilitate more discoveries on its potentials particularly in the pharmacological characteristics and potential to be developed into modern medicines.

Cytokinin-Facilitated Plant Regeneration of Three Brachystelma Species with Different Conservation Status

In Africa and Asia, members of the genus Brachystelma are well-known for their diverse uses, especially their medicinal and nutritional values. However, the use of many Brachystelma species as a valuable resource is generally accompanied by the concern of over-exploitation attributed to their slow growth and general small size. The aim of the current study was to establish efficient micropropagation protocols for three Brachystelma species, namely Brachystelma ngomense (endangered), Brachystelma pulchellum (vulnerable) and Brachystelma pygmaeum (least concern), as a means of ensuring their conservation and survival. This was achieved using nodal segments (~10 mm in length) as the source of explants in the presence of different concentrations of three cytokinins (CK) namely N⁶-benzyladenine (BA), isopentenyladenine (iP) and meta-topolin riboside (mTR), over a period of 6 weeks. The highest (25 µM) concentration of cytokinin treatments typically resulted in significantly higher shoot proliferation. However, each species differed in its response to specific CK: the optimal concentrations were 25 µM mTR, 25 µM iP and 25 µM BA for Brachystelma ngomense, Brachystelma pulchellum and Brachystelma pygmaeum, respectively. During the in vitro propagation, both Brachystelma ngomense and Brachystelma pygmaeum rooted poorly while regenerated Brachystelma pulchellum generally lacked roots regardless of the CK treatments. Following pulsing (dipping) treatment of in vitro-regenerated shoots with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), acclimatization of all three Brachystelma species remained extremely limited due to poor rooting ex vitro. To the best of our knowledge, the current protocols provide the first successful report for these Brachystelma species. However, further research remains essential to enhance the efficiency of the devised protocol.

Antioxidant and nephroprotection activities of Combretum micranthum: A phytochemical, in-vitro and ex-vivo studies

Management of chronic renal failure is exceedingly expensive. Despite of encouraging experimental outcomes, there is a lack of potent nephroprotective drugable molecules in a clinics or market. To develop a nephroprotective phytomedicine, the present study was designed to do a literature survey on reported phytochemical and biological analysis of Combretum micranthum and to carry out chemoprofiling, in-vitro antioxidant and ex-vivo nephroprotective capacity of the title plant. The phytochemical and biological activity survey of C. micranthum has reveals the presence of many bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids and alkaloids with many biological activities. Phytochemical investigation re-confirmed the presence of these compounds. Hydroalcoholic extract of C. micranthum (CM extract) showed a strong antioxidant activity by scavenging AAPH, DPPH, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide and chelating metal ions. CM extract exhibited significant (P < 0.001) dose dependent inhibition of ferric chloride-ascorbic acid induced lipid peroxidation. Diabetic nephropathy is a serious and common complication leading to end stage renal disease. Therefore, in the present study, glucose-induced toxicity was also studied in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293) as an in vitro model for diabetic nephropathy. The results showed that exposure of cells to high glucose (100 mM) for 72 h significantly reduced the cell viability resulting in morphological changes such as cell shrinkage, rounded cell shape and cytoplasmic vacuolation. Treatment with CM extract at 10 and 25 μg/mL resulted in significant improvement in cell viability from 10 to 23% compared to the high glucose control. This study demonstrated the potential antioxidant and nephroprotective properties of C. micranthum, justifying its traditional use in the treatment of various diseases.

Medicinal Plants Used in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, Southern Ghana: An Ethnobotanical Study

Background: The in-depth traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is at risk of extinction due to the dependency on oral transmission, and as such, there is an urgent need to document such knowledge. This study aimed to document indigenous uses of medicinal plants among community members in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality. Methods: Data was collected in 2016 from community members and local herbalists in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality through a semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical tools and ethnobotanical indices, i.e., informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and use value (UV) were used to analyse the data. Results: One hundred and six medicinal plants belonging to 45 families were reported to cure 68 different human diseases. The most frequently used plant part in this study was the leaves (52%). Decoction (57.5%) and oral administration (58.3%) were the most utilised herbal preparation and administration route respectively. Cleistopholis patens had the highest UV (0.54) with pain &amp; fevers and skin diseases having the highest ICF values (0.88 and 0.85 respectively). Furthermore, new medicinal uses of Hilleria latifolia and ten other species were recorded for the treatment of the traditional local disease, aseram. Conclusions: The current knowledge and uses of medicinal plants are still high in the study area based on the high degree of consensus among informants. This study could allow for the preservation of knowledge and biodiversity of medicinal plants, both of which are threatened with extinction.

A Review of the Phytochemical and Pharmacological Characteristics of Moringa oleifera

Moringa oleifera is a valued medicinal plant in traditional folk medicine. Many pharmacological studies have shown the ability of this plant to exhibit analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, anticancer, antioxidant, nootropic, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, anti-ulcer, cardiovascular, anti-obesity, antiepileptic, antiasthmatic, antidiabetic, anti-urolithiatic, diuretic, local anesthetic, anti-allergic, anthelmintic, wound healing, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and antidiarrheal properties. This review is a comprehensive summary of the phytochemical and pharmacological activities as well as the traditional and therapeutic uses of this plant. M. oleifera has wide traditional and pharmacological uses in various pathophysiological conditions. We will review the various properties of M. oleifera (drumstick tree) and focus on its various medicinal properties. We think that it is an attractive subject for further experimental and clinical investigations.

Antioxidant, enzyme-inhibitory and antitumor activity of the wild dietary plant Muscari comosum (L.) Mill

Conventional medicines used to treat obesity and cancer frequently exhibit high side effects, so that researchers are focusing on new therapies and drugs based on natural products. Total extracts from bulbs of <em>Muscari</em> <em>comosum</em> were tested for i) free radical scavenging activity, ii) <em>in vitro</em> enzymatic inhibition of pancreatic α-amylase and lipase, and iii) inhibition of the growth of breast adenocarcinoma cells. Three treatments were considered: bulbs boiled in water for 15 min (traditional cooking method; BB); bulbs steam-cooked for 15 min (alternative cooking method; SB); raw bulbs (RB). The polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of bulb extracts were related to the inhibition of pancreatic lipase and α-amylase, whose activities have been found to have a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.28, 2.14 and 3.22 mg/mL for lipase, and 0.16, 0.73 and 0.69 mg/mL for α-amylase in RB, SB and BB, respectively. The analysis on breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells revealed that RB extracts, and in a lesser extent BB, exerted a dose-dependent inhibition on cell proliferation. Considering that the potential of natural products for the treatment of obesity are under exploration, <em>M. comosum</em> could be an excellent plant for the development of future anti-obesity drugs, also able to prevent cancer.