Assessment of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants used in the management of malaria in Kafin Hausa, north-western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Malaria is a major health burden among populations with poor economic status in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Ineffective cost of drugs, multi-drug resistance of malaria parasites and inadequate health facilities are the major factors responsible for high mortality rates in these regions. These has prompted the need to identify new, efficient, safe and cheap drugs. This study was carried out to collect and document information on medicinal plants and how they are traditionally applied in the treatment of malaria in Kafin Hausa. Methods: Questionnaires were used for data collection by means of oral interview. Analysis of data collected was done using ethnobotanical indices. Results: Forty-three (43) respondents were interviewd and 15 plant species were mentioned. The plants were classified into 12 families with Buseraceae having the largest number of species. Senna occidentalis had the highest RFC (75.7%). Boswellia dalzielii, Boswellia serrata, Azadirachta indica and Vitex doniana all had fidelity level of 100%. Informant consensus factor of 0.87 was recorded. Literature search on antimalarial activities of the medicinal plants mentioned, showed that extracts from these medicinal plants had IC50 values ranging from 2.3 - <50 μgml-1, while isolated compounds from some of the mentioned plants had IC50 values between 0.7 - 24 μgml-1. Conclusion: This research has provided background data on the medicinal plants traditionally employed for malaria treatment in Kafin Hausa. These findings could serve as a basis for the advancement of pharmacological studies on these medicinal plants with emphasis on safety, standardization and dosage. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Malaria, Kafin Hausa, Nigeria