Chapter 24 - Warburgia salutaris

Abstract

Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov. is a slender, aromatic, evergreen tree that belongs to the cinnamon family (Canellaceae). This species, found mainly in southern Africa, has the epithet ‘salutaris’ which means ‘salutary to health’ or ‘health-giving’, thus reflecting the initial use of the bark as a general tonic, while the common name, pepper-bark tree, relates to the pungent, peppery taste of the inner bark. Traditionally, the bark of W. salutaris is used as a natural antibiotic for various respiratory tract infections, candidiasis, skin conditions, gastrointestinal ailments, as an analgesic and antipyretic, to combat protozoal diseases, and as a topical treatment for sexually transmitted disease-associated sores and inflammation. This monograph is a record of the conservation status, ethnobotany, phytochemistry, in vitro and in vivo biological activity, safety and commercialisation of the plant. The chemical profiling of the volatile and non-volatile constituents was performed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS), semi-automated high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS). The monoterpenes, myrcene, Z-β-ocimene and E-β-ocimene were dominant in the essential oil of the leaves, as determined by GC–MS analysis. The marker compounds in the non-volatile fraction were the sesquiterpenes, bemadienolide cinnamolide, cinnamolide-3β-acetate and ugandensolide, based on UPLC–MS analysis.