Chapter 11 - Antiemetic African Medicinal Spices and Vegetables

Abstract

Many spices and vegetables in Africa have been reported to have antiemetic activities. Antiemetic effect is the ability of a compound to prevent nausea, retching, and vomiting which are uncomfortable phenomena known as emesis. Nausea and vomiting are mediated primarily by visceral stimulation through dopamine and serotonin, by vestibular and central nervous system through histamine and acetylcholine, and by chemoreceptor trigger zone stimulation through dopamine and serotonin. Synthetic antiemetic drugs exist but in regard to their marked side effects and high costs, natural substances could represent more attractive alternative. This chapter focuses on current scientific publications and knowledge concerning the potential health benefits of African medicinal spices and vegetables as antiemetics. Some methods used in antiemetic screenings of botanicals are also discussed. Herein, we listed African antiemetic spices and vegetables, such as Aframomum melegueta, Abrus precatorius, Acalypha ornata, Adenanthera pavonina, Afzelia Africana, Anethum graveolens, Mentha longifolia, Monodora myristica, Murraya koenigii, Myristica fragrans, Ocimum basilicum, Ocimum gratissimum, Polygonum lapathifolium, Piper nigrum, Solanum aethiopicum, Solanum melongena, Syzygium aromaticum, Thymus transcaspicus, Thymus vulgaris, Xylopia aethiopia, and Zingiber officinale. However, more studies are still to be done to move from basic researches to valorization.