Abstract
The ethnopharmacology, chemistry and pharmacology of four Malian medicinal plants, Biophytum umbraculum, Burkea africana, Lannea velutina and Terminalia macroptera are reviewed. These plants are used by traditional healers against numerous ailments: malaria, gastrointestinal diseases, wounds, sexually transmitted diseases, insect bites and snake bites, etc. The scientific evidence for these uses is, however, limited. From the chemical and pharmacological evidence presented here, it seems possible that the use in traditional medicine of these plants may have a rational basis, although more clinical studies are needed.
Highlights
Africa has a very varied flora, and the study of African medicinal plants has engaged many scientists for a long time
Studies on African medicinal plants have in most cases been limited to geographically limited areas—this is necessary, due to the very wide floral variation throughout this huge continent
A few more recent examples include the books by Iwu [1], Kuete [6], Neuwinger [7] and van Wyk [8]—this list is very far from complete! Journals such as African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, as well as many others, are rich sources of knowledge of African medicinal plants and their properties and use
Summary
Africa has a very varied flora, and the study of African medicinal plants has engaged many scientists for a long time. Some examples of the large number of books dealing with African medicinal plants are the classical work by Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk [4] and Burkill’s multivolume treatise [5]. Scientists in Mali and Norway have collaborated in investigating Malian medicinal plants, and this has resulted in more than sixty publications in peer-reviewed international journals, numerous contributions at national and international conferences, nine Ph.D. degrees and more than 100 M.Sc. degrees awarded. A description of this project is available on the web [9] In this brief survey, I intend to review the ethnopharmacology, chemistry and pharmacology of some Malian medicinal plants. A recent review [15] covers medicinal plants from Mali. Differently recent [15] covers medicinal from. Differently angled,Aand the review plants covered in detail in theplants present article only briefly angled, and the plants covered in detail in the present article are only briefly mentioned
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