Abstract
In Sub-Saharan Africa, herbal medicines are commonly used for prevention or treatment of illnesses, including erectile dysfunction. Contemporary medicines used to manage erectile dysfunction are not only inaccessible to local populations, but also impose significant out-of-pocket expenditure on patients. Herbal medicines offer alternatives for alleviating erectile dysfunction, which has clinical, psychological and societal consequences. Regardless, there are increasing concerns about the safety and/or toxicity of herbal medicines. In this study, the toxicity of aqueous extracts of four herbs, commonly used in south-western Uganda, to manage erectile dysfunction, was investigated. Acute and sub-chronic toxicity studies were conducted following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for toxicity study. All four plants extracts were found safe at single dose exposure up to the limit dose of 5000 mg/kg. Extracts of Cola acuminate reduced the weights of the experimental animals, Tarenna graveolens and Cola acuminata indicated low level liver toxicity and Tarenna graveolens, Cola acuminata and Urtica massaica indicated low level renal toxicity following multiple exposures for 90 days. Three of the four herbs studied have shown low level toxicity on multiple exposure for 90 days. Key words: Toxicity, Mondia whiteii,Cola acuminata,Urtica massaica, and Tarenna graveolens.
Highlights
In Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an increase in the use of herbal medicine with prevalence rate varying among different countries
Despite the increased use of herbal medicines, not much has been done to investigate the toxicity on vital organs such as the liver, or kidneys, and herbal medicines continue to be consumed by the local population with less regard for safety
The dry powders of aqueous extracts of Mondia whiteii roots, Cola acuminata fruits, Urtica massaica leaves, and Tarenna graveolens roots were used, 99% chloroform was used for anesthesia
Summary
In Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an increase in the use of herbal medicine with prevalence rate varying among different countries. In Uganda, about 80 to 90% of the population is reported to use herbal medicines (Kamatenesi-Mugisha et al, 2005; Ijeoma et al, 2014). Herbal medicines are derived from parts of the plant, including leaves, stems, flowers, roots, and seeds. Herbal extracts contain active ingredients including fatty acids, sterols, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, among several others (Rotblatt and Ziment, 2002). Herbs though perceived to be natural and safe by most of the population, they are not without harm, including side effects (Kamatenesi-Mugisha and Oryem-Origa, 2005)
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