Herbal medicine commonly used against non-communicable diseases in the tropical island of Mauritius

Abstract

Indigenous Mauritians from diverse cultures use herbal medicines (HMs) against various diseases. Nonetheless, currently there is no updated ethnobotanical documentation concerning the HMs being used for the treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular, hypertension and gastrointestinal diseases (to mention a few). The study was therefore geared towards identifying different HMs frequently used by Mauritians, and to establish association(s), if any, with common demographic factors. Demographic characteristics of participants (n=334), different HMs used against NCDs, information concerning specific plants (vernacular names, utilised parts, preparation methods and side effects) were recorded systematically via a standardised questionnaire. The relative importance values of the plant species were determined via quantitative ethnobotanical indices such as informant consensus factor (FIC), use value (UV) and fidelity level (FL). Significant associations were found between age, educational level, income group and the use of natural remedies (p<0.01). Thirty medicinal plants species belonging to 22 families were recorded with Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Rutaceae being the most used species. Leaves (51%) were the most frequently used plant parts and decoction (46.1%) was the most common method of preparation. Based on UV, Azadirachta indica, Pimpinella anisum L. and Momordica charantia were among the most used plants. Adverse effects like hypertension and gastrointestinal toxicity were also reported with the use of some plant species. In conclusion, therapeutic properties of some HMs correlated to some extent with that of previous studies while others have open potential perspectives for further research as their chemistry and pharmacology have not been published.