Medicinal plant use for malaria: Trends and prospects

Abstract

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease that affects millions each year, with resistance to most anti-malarial agents documented. Given that two of the widely used agents for malaria today, quinine and artemisinin, are derived from plant sources, medicinal plants are a potentially viable source of novel anti-malarial agents. The objective of this work is to carry out a literature survey on medicinal plants documented for use in malaria. Keywords “ethnobotanical”, “survey”, “ethnopharmacological”, and “malaria” were searched in Scopus, ScienceDirect, and PubMed. Other books and websites were also used. Plants that were reported to be used solely for fever (other than malarial fever), external application, or as insect repellents, were excluded. Data collected were analyzed according to family, genus, location of use, method of preparation, part used, and indication (treatment and/or prevention). A comprehensive database documenting the usage and preparation of these medicinal plants for malaria has been compiled. A total of 1856 plants from 196 families and 1013 genera were reported to be used for malaria worldwide, with 66 plants reportedly used in three or more continents. Based on geographical extent of use, plant family, or genus, the plants for further research can be prioritized. There is evidence of sustained interest in anti-malarial medicinal plant research over the past decade. Detailed results of the survey will be presented, and trends and prospects of medicinal plants for use in malaria will be discussed.