Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Practitioners for the Treatment of Diabetes, Obesity and Arterial Hypertension in the Dja and Lobo Department of Cameroon

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterised by chronic hyperglycaemia, with disturbance of carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism, resulting from a defect in insulin secretion and/or action. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated in 2017 that 425 million people were living with diabetes worldwide. It is estimated that by 2045, 629 million adults will have diabetes. In Cameroon, a prevalence of 5.59% was recorded in 2018, regardless of gender [1]. In the Department of Dja and Lobo, an ethnopharmacological study was set up to identify and characterize the medicinal flower used in the management of metabolic syndrome. Material and methods: Surveys were conducted among 135 people. Data on medicinal recipes used in the management of diabetes, hypertension and obesity were collected according to a standardized framework. The plant samples mentioned were collected and identified at the National Herbarium of Cameroon and characterized. Phytochemical screening was performed on each species. Results: A total of 135 natives from six different villages were interviewed about plants used in the management of metabolic syndrome in the Department of Dja and Lobo. The study identified 85 species in 49 families. The fabaceae, asteraceae and flacourthiaceae families each had at least five species cited by the stakeholders who participated in our investigation. The medicinal plants inventoried totaled 7 biological types. In total 41 species were involved in the treatment of diabetes. The most used preparation methods were decoction and trituration. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, Phenols, Polyphenols, Tannins, Saponins in almost all the extracts collected. Anthocyanins were extremely abundant in almost all extracts. Conclusion: The results obtained constitute a very valuable source of information for the region studied. The valorization of these plants and the determination of the health profile of the local populations of the Dja and Lobo department requires the establishment of modern processing units specialised in the manufacture of medicines.