Medicinal plants and finished marketed herbal products used in the treatment of malaria in the Ashanti region, Ghana.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Aug 22;172:333-46. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.06.041. Epub 2015 Jul 4.

Komlaga G¹, Agyare C², Dickson RA³, Mensah ML⁴, Annan K⁵, Loiseau PM⁶, Champy P⁷.

Author information

1

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Chimiothérapie Antiparasitaire, CNRS UMR 8076 BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Sud, France; Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, CNRS UMR 8076 BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Sud, France. Electronic address: gustkomla@yahoo.com.

2

Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Electronic address: chrisagyare@yahoo.com.

3

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Electronic address: radickson.pharm@knust.edu.gh.

4

Department of Herbal Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Electronic address: mlkmensah.pharm@knust.ed.gh.

5

Department of Herbal Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Electronic address: annankofi@yahoo.com.

6

Chimiothérapie Antiparasitaire, CNRS UMR 8076 BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Sud, France. Electronic address: philippe.loiseau@u-psud.fr.

7

Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, CNRS UMR 8076 BioCIS, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris-Sud, France. Electronic address: pierre.champy@u-psud.fr.

Abstract

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:

Ethnobotanical survey was performed to document medicinal plants employed in the management of malaria in the Bosomtwe and Sekyere East Districts of the Ashanti Region (Ghana), in comparison with the plant ingredients in herbal antimalarial remedies registered by the Ghana Food and Drug Administration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Two hundred and three (203) herbalists from 33 communities within the two districts were interviewed on medicinal plants they use to manage malaria. A literature search was made to determine already documented plants. In addition, 23 finished marketed herbal products indicated for the management of malaria were identified and their labels examined to find out which of the plants mentioned in our survey were listed as ingredients and whether these products are in anyway regulated.

RESULTS:

Ninety-eight (98) species of plants were cited for the management of malaria. In comparison with literature citations, 12 (12.2%) species were reported for the management of malaria for the first time and 20 (20.4%) others for the first time in Ghana. Twenty-three (23) finished marketed herbal antimalarial products examined contained aerial or underground parts of 29 of the plants cited in our survey as ingredients. Twenty-two (22) of these products have been registered by the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority, four (4) of which were included in the recommended herbal medicine list for treating malaria in Ghana.

CONCLUSION:

This study provides new additions to the inventory of medicinal plants used for the management of malaria and reports the commercial availability and regulation of finished marketed labelled herbal products intended for the treatment of malaria in Ghana.

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Antimalarial; Finished marketed herbal products; Malaria; Medicinal plants; Treatment

PMID:

26151245

DOI:

10.1016/j.jep.2015.06.041