Impact of the exploitation of medicinal plants on biodiversity conservation in Saida and El Bayadh regions, Algeria

The aim of this study was to establish an overview of medicinal plants in the Saida and El Bayadh regions through a survey of herbalists. Our survey included more than 60 herbalists spread over the territory of two Wilayas (provinces), in an area representing more than 3% of Algerian territory. At the same time, and when conditions permitted, families were interviewedand their answers most often guided our survey. In addition, we collected information on: traditional herbalists, the most exploited species, areas of origin, periods and quantities exploited, as well as the influence of this mode of exploitationon present and future biodiversity in these regions. Analysis of the data showed that threats to the biological diversity of medicinal plants mainly included human actions and natural changes. Herbalists practise this trade mostly by inheritance and they are willing to train in the field of herbalism. The frequency of use of medicinal plants as alternative medicine is very important in the social life of populations.

Long-Standing Herbal Medicinal Traditions from the Prehistoric Harar Town and the Surroundings, Eastern Ethiopia

Ethiopia is home to a remarkable diversity of more than 1000 species of medicinal plants. The Harari and Oromo communities living in the prehistoric town of Harar and the surroundings have long history of knowledge and practices of treating human and livestock ailments using medicinal plants. However, this has remained little or no empirically studied. Semi-structured interviews, discussions and guided field walks were used to collect data from 80 randomly and systematically selected informants among who 16 were traditional herbalists. Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Cultural Importance Index (CII), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Use Diversity (UD), Non-parametric Kruskal Wallis, and Wilcoxon tests were conducted using R software version 3.3.4. A total of 142 wild and cultivated traditional medicinal plant species belonging to 124 genera and 57 families of which leaves are favoured by traditional healers were identified as herbs. Concoction, or filtering, and infusion, or boiling, were the most practiced methods of remedial preparations of the wild and cultivated medicinal plants, respectively. The highest ICF value was recorded for treating toothache and mouth infections (0.93) followed by gastritis, heartburn/pyrosis (0.84). The most culturally important and the highest diversity index were found to be Ocimum lamiifolium and Allium sativum. There were valuable and diversified wild and cultivated ethno-medicinal plant species associated with indigenous knowledge. The reputability of the indigenous knowledge should be corroborated with phytochemical and pharmacological analyses. Moreover, the status of conservation of these plant species and associated ethnomedicinal knowledge needs further investigations.

Acute Oral Toxicity and Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Aqueous and Methanolic Stem Bark Extracts of Piliostigma thonningii (Schumach.)

Inflammation and pain are devastating conditions characterizing many diseases. Their manifestation ranges from mild body discomfort, to a debilitating experience, which may culminate in organ failure or death. In conventional medicine, corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and adjuvants are utilized to manage symptoms related to pain and inflammation. Despite their reported successes, these agents are only palliative, debatably inaccessible, unaffordable, and cause many undesirable side effects. As a result, the search for alternative and complementary therapies is warranted. Medicinal plants have been intensively utilized by humans for a long time to treat various ailments. In spite of their reported efficacies, empirical scientific data supporting their healing claims is scanty. P. thonningii (Schumach.) has been used in African traditional medicine, especially by traditional herbalists in Nigeria and Kenya, to treat conditions associated with inflammation. Even though analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and toxicity studies have been performed on leaf extracts, and some of their isolated compounds in Nigeria, there is scanty data supporting the use of stem bark extracts, which are commonly utilized in Kenya for pain, and inflammation management. Moreover, scientific data regarding safety and toxicity of the stem bark extracts of P. thonningii utilized in Kenya by traditional herbalists are inadequate. Based on this background, acute oral toxicity evaluation of the aqueous and methanolic stem bark extracts of P. thonningii, in Swiss albino mice, was performed according to the OECD/OCDE (2008) guidelines. Anti-inflammatory activities were investigated using the xylene-induced ear oedema in mice, whereas analgesic activities were examined following the acetic acid-induced writhing technique. The acute oral toxicity data was analyzed, and interpreted according to the OECDE (2008) guidelines. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities data were tabulated on MS Excel, and exported to GraphPad Prism (v8.3). Descriptive statistics were computed, and expressed as mean ± SEM. Thereafter, One-Way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test was performed. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. All the studied plant extracts had LD50 values > 2000 mg/kg bw, and were hence deemed to be nontoxic according to OECD/OCDE document no. 425. The results showed that the acetic acid-induced writhing frequency in mice administered the aqueous stem bark extract of P. thonningii, at a dose of 500 mg/kg bw, was not significantly different from that recorded for mice which received the reference drug (acetylsalicylic acid 75 mg) (p>0.05). Additionally, at all the studied extract doses, significantly lower acetic acid-induced writhing frequencies were recorded in mice that received the aqueous stem bark extract of P. thonningii, compared with the writhing frequencies in mice that received the methanolic extract of the same plant (p<0.05). On the other hand, the aqueous stem bark extract of P. thonningii, at doses of 100 mg/kg bw and 500 mg/kg bw, and the methanolic stem bark extract of the same plant, at a dose level of 500 mg/kg bw, exhibited significantly higher percentage inhibitions of xylene-induced oedema than the percentage inhibitions shown by the reference drug (dexamethasone 1 mg/kg bw) (p<0.05). Generally, the aqueous stem bark extract of P. thonningii, at all the studied dose levels, caused significantly higher inhibitions of xylene-induced ear oedema in mice, compared with the percentage inhibitions shown by methanolic stem bark (p<0.05). Therefore, the aqueous, and methanolic stem bark extracts of P. thonningii, grown in Kenya, possess peripheral analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in Swiss albino mice. Hence, they have a potential of offering safe analgesic, and anti-inflammatory compounds. Further studies aimed at isolating, elucidating, and characterizing bioactive components from the studied extracts are recommended. Moreover, specific mode(s) through which these extracts exert the reported bioactivities should be established. Further toxicological investigations involving the studied plant extracts are encouraged to fully establish their safety.

Antidiarrheal plants sold by the herbalists of Abobo commune market in the north Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

The present study was done in seven markets of Abobo (Côte d’Ivoire) for inventory vegetal antidiarrheal resources. Ethnobotanical information obtained beside 44 traditional herbalists, based on interviews, show that 18 plants species are used to cure to diarrhoea. They are belonging to 17 genera and 11 families. The best represented families were: Euphorbiaceae. Three species commonly cited by healers were: Psidium guajava, Alchornea cordifolia and Euphorbia hirta. Various plant organs are used for the preparation of drug recipes. Leaves are the most used. These receipts which are mainly multispecific require different preparation methods (decoction, soaking and kneading). Most remedies are prepared as a decoction. Administration was essentially oral. This study constitutes a source of very precious information for subsequent researches for the domains of the phytochemistry and pharmacology in order to search for new natural substance. RÉSUMÉ Plantes antidiarrhéiques vendues par les herboristes des marchés de la commune d’Abobo, au nord d’Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). La présente étude a été conduite dans sept marchés de la commune d’Abobo (Côte d’Ivoire) pour inventorier les ressources végétales antidiarrhéiques. À l’aide de fiches questionnaires, les informations ethnobotaniques obtenues auprès de 44 herboristes, révèlent que 18 espèces de plantes sont utilisées pour combattre la diarrhée. Elles sont réparties en 17 genres et 11 familles avec une importante représentativité des Euphorbiaceae. Les trois espèces couramment citées par ces herboristes sont : Psidium guajava, Alchornea cordifolia et Euphorbia hirta. Différents organes de plante sont utilisés pour la préparation des recettes médicamenteuses. Les feuilles sont les plus employées. Les recettes, majoritairement plurispécifiques, nécessitent diverses méthodes de préparation (décoction, macération et pétrissage). La majorité des remèdes est préparée par décoction. L'administration des remèdes est faite essentiellement par la voie orale. Cette étude constitue une source d’informations très précieuse pour les recherches ultérieures dans les domaines de la phytochimie et de la pharmacologie en vue de rechercher de nouvelles substances naturelles.

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers to Treat Cancer-Like Symptoms in Eleven Districts, Ethiopia

There is no ethnobotanical study conducted specifically on medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer in Ethiopia. Yet, traditional herbalists in different parts of the country claim that they have been treating cancer-like symptoms using herbal remedies. The objective of this study was to document medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer-like symptoms in eleven districts, Ethiopia. Traditional herbalists were interviewed using semistructured questionnaires, and field visits were also carried out to collect claimed plants for identification purpose. Seventy-four traditional herbalists, who claimed that they knew about and/or had used medicinal plants to treat cancer-like symptoms, were selected using the snowball method and interviewed. Herbalists used their intuition and relied on the chronicity, growth of external mass, and spreading of the disease to other parts of the body, as a means to characterize cancer symptoms. Furthermore, in some of the study districts, herbalists reported that they treat patients who had already been diagnosed in modern healthcare institutions prior to seeking help from them. The inventory of medicinal plants is summarized in a synoptic table, which contains the scientific and vernacular names of the plants, their geographical location, the parts of the plants, and the methods used to prepare the remedies. A total of 53 traditionally used anticancer plants, belonging to 30 families, were identified during the survey. The most frequently reported anticancer plants were Acmella caulirhiza Del (Asteraceae), Clematis simensis Fresen. (Ranunculaceae), Croton macrostachyus Del. (Euphorbiaceae), and Dorstenia barnimiana Schweinf. (Moraceae). Organizing traditional healers, documenting their indigenous knowledge, and scientifically validating it for the development of better cancer therapeutic agents constitute an urgent and important task for policymakers and scientists.

Medicinal plants for management and alternative therapy of common ailments in Dutsin-Ma (Katsina State) in Nigeria

SummaryIntroduction: Nowadays, many synthetic drugs comes with various degrees of side effects, accumulative toxicity and development of resistance by microorganisms. Medicinal plants used worldwide can be developed into modern drugs with little or no side effects and greater efficacy.Objective: The aim of this paper was to document the alternative therapy used in Dutsin-Ma local community in Katsina state, Nigeria.Methods: Ethnobotanical survey was carried out among 40 traditional herbalists. Out of 106 plants found, screening was conducted to include only plants that are prescribed simultaneously by the entire herbalists.Results: We have found 32 species of medicinal plants from 20 families that are used for management and alternative therapy against common ailments such as malaria, diabetes, sickle cell anaemia, hypertension, ulcer, paralysis, typhoid fever and immune deficiency.Conclusion: Traditional medicinal plants provide the alternative therapy for treatment and management of diseases to significant number of people. Herbal practitioners are still relevant to African healthcare system.

The formation of the Kallawaya language

In this paper, I will discuss the question of the formation of the mixed and secret Kallawaya language, spoken by traditional herbalists at Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. The parental languages of Kallawaya are Southern Quechua (Quechua IIC), which provided the grammar, and now-extinct Pukina, which presumably supplied the lexicon. I argue that Kallawaya arose from lexical re-orientation, having been created by Quechua native speakers. As such it does not present an instance of selective replication (Matras 2000). To support this claim, I will discuss lexical, grammatical, and structural evidence. In contrast to what has been claimed by Stark (1972), only a small part of the Kallawaya lexicon links to Pukina. Moreover, the Kallawaya grammar is as good as identical to that of Southern Quechua but contains some grammatical markers that do not trace back to Quechua or Aymara. It is the aim of this paper to concentrate on these deviant markers, investigating possible relationships with Pukina. I will show that demonstrated links to Pukina are scarce and that the formation of Kallawaya is better explained as a case of lexical re-orientation.

Effects of leaf extracts of Vernonia amygdalina on the force and rate of contractility of an isolated mammalian heart

Background: Vernonia amygdalina is a common medicinal plant that is widely used by local communities and traditional herbalists in central Uganda in management of various conditions including hypertension that occurs as a result of changes in heart contractility. However, there is limited scientific information of V. amygdalina effects on the force and rate of contractility of the heart. The study evaluated the inotropic and chronotropic effect of methanol, aqueous, ether and total crude leaf extracts of V. amygdalina on isolated perfused rabbit heart.Methods: An experimental laboratory based study determined the effects of V. amygdalina extracts on the rate and force of contraction isolated perfused rabbit using the Langendorff’s heart perfusion experiment and methods. The heart rate (beats/minute) was counted per minute. The force of contraction of the heart was determined measuring the height of each peak on the kymogram.Results: The findings showed that the force and rate of heart contractility reduced with increasing doses of methanol, aqueous ether and total crude leaf extracts at doses of 0.5, 8.0, 62.0 and 250.0 mg/ml. The force and rate of heart contractility at a dose of 250.0 mg/ml for all the extracts were comparable to that of acetylcholine drug to almost causing cardiac arrest.Conclusions: The leaf extracts of V. amygdalina contain compounds that reduced the force and rate of contraction of an isolated rabbit heart.

Ethnobotanical study of plants used by Thami community in Ilam District, eastern Nepal

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out on the utilization of plants by Thami communities in Gorkhe, Jogmai and Nayabazar areas of Ilam by interviewing traditional herbalists and different age groups of men and women in June 2016. A total of 30 plants belonging to 24 families and 29 genera have been documented. These plants were used for food, fodder, firewood, medicine and in rituals. The documented medicinal plants were used to treat various human ailments of 12 categories; with the highest number of species being used for gastro-intestinal disorders (15 spp.) followed by ENT problems (14 spp.). Most of the medicines were prepared from underground parts in the form of paste and used orally. Informant Consensus Factor (Fic) ranges from 0.6 to 0.9 with an average of 0.82. Dermatological disorders have the highest Fic (0.90) and other categories have the lowest (0.6). Aconitum palmatum, Begonia picta, Bergenia ciliata, Astilbe rivularis, Swertia chirayita, Drymaria cordata and Remusatia pumila have the highest fidelity level (100% each) and Galium asperifolium has the lowest FL (16%). According to the use value, Swertia chirayita (UV=2.83) was the most important with uses against 6 ailments and Hypericum cordifolium has the least (UV=0.08), used in only one ailment. A variation in ethnobotanical knowledge was found according to age, gender and occupation in this community.

Traditional herbalists’ methods of treating mental disorders in Ghana

The use of traditional medicine for the treatment of various disorders is not a new practice. Indeed, various categories of traditional healers form a large part of the healthcare workforce in many low- and middle-income countries, and given the paucity of mental health professionals in these countries, traditional and complementary medicine practitioners are utilised even more so for mental disorders. In Ghana, efforts have been made to formalise and standardise the work of traditional medicine practitioners. This goal is still mostly unmet, partly due to the lack of scientific knowledge of their beliefs, methods, and practices in mental healthcare. Very few studies have documented this knowledge. In this article, we report on some of the methods that are used by traditional Ghanaian herbalists in treating mental disorders. Eight herbalists working within the Greater Accra Region, who specialised in mental health, were interviewed through individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis showed that traditional herbalists’ work in treating mental disorders revolved around four key themes: the method of diagnosis; the treatment methods used; the mode of administering the treatment; and the purpose of the specific treatment. These themes are discussed with reference to their potential implications for patients’ care and outcomes.