A review on medicinal plants used in the management of liver diseases in West Africa

Abstract

In West Africa, there is an extensive demand of plants traditionally used against liver diseases. This review gathered information on the plants used for the traditional management of liver diseases in West Africa. A literature review was used to gather information on medicinal plants such as the scientific names, the parts used, the forms prepared and the main liver diseases treated. Citation frequency and convergence score were calculated for each species. The findings presented 24 articles published in West Africa with a total of 401 species distributed in 283 genera belonging to 103 families. The Fabaceae family was the most represented with 73 species. The most cited species were Carica papaya L. (Caricaceae), Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swing. (Rutaceae), Cochlospermum tinctorium Perr. ex A. Rich (Cochlosmarmaceae), Entada africana Guill. And Perr. (Fabaceae), Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R.Br. ex G.Don (Fabaceae) and Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. (Euphorbiaceae). These plant species presented the highest citation frequencies and convergence scores. The leaves were mostly used in the form of decoction. The main diseases recorded were related to jaundice. Safety, quality and efficacy data on some of these plants justify their traditional uses and will contribute to the development of new phytomedicines against liver diseases.