Abstract
Snake envenomation is one of the neglected tropical diseases which has left an intolerable death toll and severe socioeconomic losses in Kenya. In a continued effort to identify some antiophidic East African botanical species, this study generated ethnobotanical information on antivenom plants reported in Kenya, with a view to identify potential species which could be subjected to in vitro and clinical studies for possible development into antivenoms. Data retrieved through searches done in multidisciplinary databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Scientific Electronic Library Online) indicated that 54 plant species belonging to 45 genera, distributed among 27 families, are used for the management of snakebites in Kenya. Most species belonged to the family Asteraceae (11%), Malvaceae (11%), Fabaceae (9%), Annonaceae (6%), Combretaceae (6%), and Lamiaceae (6%). The main growth habit of the species is as herbs (35%), shrubs (33%), and trees (28%). Ethnomedicinal preparations used in treating snake poisons are usually from leaves (48%), roots (26%), and stem bark (8%) through decoctions, infusions, powders, and juices which are applied topically or administered orally. The most frequently encountered species were Combretum collinum, Euclea divinorum, Fuerstia africana, Grewia fallax, Microglossa pyrifolia, Solanecio mannii, and Solanum incanum. Indigenous knowledge on medicinal antivenom therapy in Kenya is humongous, and therefore studies to isolate and evaluate the antivenom compounds in the claimed plants are required to enable their confident use in antivenom therapy alongside commercial antivenin sera.
Highlights
Envenomation by snakes is one of the major causes of deaths recorded worldwide and has been flagged by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease [1]
More than 5.5 million snake envenomations are encountered yearly, 2 million victims of which succumb to death while 0.4 million acquire permanent disability [1, 2]
More than 70,000 cases are from East Africa, and the situation has been exacerbated by climate change and deforestation which push snakes out of their natural habitats into the general population [6]
Summary
Envenomation by snakes is one of the major causes of deaths recorded worldwide and has been flagged by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease [1]. In 1994, 151 snakebite cases were reported, with 19% being from venomous snakes [8]. Antivenom sera is the only credited treatment for the management of snake envenomation [14, 20,21,22]. They are associated with various side effects and may only be effective if administered within 30 minutes to 6 hours of the snakebite. In the East African case, some studies indicated that some antivenom sera on the market were ineffective against some medically important snake venoms [15, 26]. Us, up to 85% of Kenyan snakebite victims seek treatment from traditional medicine practitioners or use rudimentary means to eliminate the venom [17, 27]. e current study gives an overview of traditional management of snake envenomation in Kenya, utilizing medicinal plants
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