Volume 157, 18 November 2014, Pages 181–200
Ethnopharmacological analysis of medicinal plants and animals used in the treatment and management of pain in Mauritius
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Pain
is a multi-faceted and multi-factorial condition which is challenging
to manage and treat. Conventional therapies such as analgesics,
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and corticosteroids
amongst others have been successful to some extent in its management and
treatment. Nonetheless, such therapies tend to be accompanied by
undesirable effects and have a limited therapeutic range. Consequently,
there is a pressing need to probe for novel analgesic and
anti-nociceptive drugs from traditional medicines (TM). This study was
designed to record, document and analyze herbal and animal-based
therapies used for the management and treatment of pain in the tropical
of Mauritius.
Materials and methods
Data was collected via face-to-face interviews with TM users (n=332) and practitioners (n=20).
Seven quantitative ethnopharmacological indexes, namely family use
value (FUV), use value (UV), informant agreement ratio (IAR), relative
frequency of citation (RFC), fidelity level (FL), relative importance
(RI) and ethnobotanicity index (EI) were calculated.
Results
A
total of 79 plant species distributed within 40 families and 20
polyherbal preparations was recorded. Interestingly, 6
indigenous/endemic plants have been reported for the first time to be in
common use for pain management and treatment in Mauritius. The most
significant biologically important plant family was Xanthorrhoeaceae
with highest FUV. The species which ranked highest according to its UV
was Morinda citrifolia L. Morinda citrifolia L. and Ricinus communis
L. also scored the highest RFC. The IAR values for the disease
categories were high (0.95–0.97). Based on EI, plants species which are
known to be useful in TM accounted for 11.5% of the total flora in
Mauritius. Coix lacryma-jobi L. (FL=100%) had highest FL for lower back ache. Morinda citrifolia
L. scored highest on most of the quantitative indices calculated
including RI, which is endorsed by extensive documentation on its
versatility and particularly its anti-nociceptive properties. Seven
animal species were recorded to be in common use.
Conclusion
The
present ethnopharmacological study revealed a panoply of TM to be in
common use for pain management and treatment in Mauritius. This study
has documented for the first time medicinal plants and animal species
with potential analgesic and/or anti-nociceptive properties. This study
has therefore provided important baseline primary data for the discovery
of new lead molecules for drug development geared towards pain
management and treatment.
Graphical abstract
Abbreviations
- EI, Ethnobotanicity Index;
- FL, Fidelity Level;
- FUV, Family Use Value;
- IAR, Informant Agreement Ratio;
- NSAIDs, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs;
- RFC, Relative Frequency of Citation;
- RI, Relative Importance;
- UV, Use Value;
- TM, Traditional Medicines;
- WHO, World Health Organization;
- MOAIFS, Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security;
- MOFED, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development;
- VAS, Visual Analog Scale;
- IPNI, International Plant Name Index
Keywords
- Traditional medicines;
- Pain;
- Herbal remedies;
- Zootherapy;
- Mauritius
