Review of Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Euclea natalensis A.DC.

Alfred Maroyi

doi:10.3390/molecules22122128

Abstract

Euclea natalensis is traditionally used as herbal medicine for several human diseases and ailments in tropical Africa. This study reviews information on ethnomedicinal uses, botany, phytochemical constituents, pharmacology and toxicity of E. natalensis. Results of this study are based on literature search from several sources including electronic databases, books, book chapters, websites, theses and conference proceedings. This study showed that E. natalensis is used as traditional medicine in 57.1% of the countries where it is indigenous. Euclea natalensis has a high degree of consensus on abdominal pains, antidote for snake bites, diabetes, diarrhoea, malaria, roundworms, stomach problems, toothache, venereal diseases and wounds. Several ethnopharmacological studies have shown that crude extracts and chemical compounds from E. natalensis demonstrated many biological activities both in vitro and in vivo, which included antibacterial, antidiabetic, antifungal, antimycobacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, larvicidal, antischistosomal, molluscicidal, dentin permeability and hepatoprotective activities. Future studies should focus on the mechanism of biological activities of both crude extracts and chemical compounds from the species, as well as structure–function relationships of bioactive constituents of the species.

Highlights

Euclea natalensis A.DC. is traditionally used as herbal medicine to treat several human diseases and ailments in tropical Africa
Mortality after 48 and 96 h of exposure, respectively [74]. These results provide a scientific basis to the traditional uses of E. natalensis as herbal medicine for malaria in East Africa [16], Mozambique [15], Tanzania [7,19] and Zimbabwe [20]
The species is widely used for human diseases and ailments such as abdominal pains, antidote for snake bites, diabetes, diarrhoea, malaria, roundworms, stomach problems, toothache and venereal diseases

Summary

Introduction

Euclea natalensis A.DC. (family Ebenaceae) is traditionally used as herbal medicine to treat several human diseases and ailments in tropical Africa. E. natalensis, a plant species characterized by several uses which are recognized culturally, medicinally and commercially. According to Van Wyk [1,2], the roots of E. natalensis have commercial potential as remedies for chest ailments, toothache, bronchitis, pleurisy, asthma, headache, and urinary tract infections, as well as mouth rinses or toothbrush sticks that may be developed into pharmaceutical drugs and health promoting products. The twigs and roots of E. natalensis are traditionally used as chewing sticks, toothbrushes and mouthwash for oral hygiene, for cleaning teeth and the gums in the belief that these plant parts benefit the health of the mouth and teeth [3]. In East Africa, the twigs are used as toothbrushes and roots of E. natalensis are chewed by women to impart a red colour to their mouths [5]

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