Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight and Arn. (Fabaceae), a plant used in the traditional treatment of lymphatic filariasis in Côte d'Ivoire: Ethnopharmacological characteristics

Abstract

Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn. (Fabaceae) is a plant used in the traditional treatment of lymphatic filariasis. It was revealed following a recent ethnomedicinal survey. The present study aims to highlight the distinctive ethnopharmacological characteristics of Dichrostachys cinerea. The aim was to identify some groups of chemical compounds by thin layer chromatography, to assay some minerals and finally to characterise the specific anatomical and micrographic features of the plant. Terpenes and sterols, saponosides, flavonoids and tannins are the main phytocompounds revealed. Magnesium with 110.4 mg/100 g dry matter is the most abundant mineral. Anatomical sections revealed from the periphery to the interior of the organs, epidermis, collenchyma, cortical parenchyma, sclerenchyma, liber or phloem, the wood or xylem and the medullary parenchyma. In the plant powder, it was observed starch grains and calcium oxalate crystals. These results add to the data on Dichrostachys cinerea, a taxon much used in traditional Ivorian medicine for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis.