Abstract
Historically, plants have provided a source of inspiration for novel drug compounds, as plant derived medicines have made large contributions to human health and well-being. Their role is two ways in the development of new drugs: (1) they may become the basis for the development of new medicine i.e. a natural blueprint for the development of new drugs, or (2) a phytomedicine to be used for the treatment of disease. Though there is availability of various orthodox drugs for the treatment of respiratory track diseases in Nigeria, there is increase in the search for herbal remedies. The seeds of Garcinia kola (GK) forms a major part of the herbal preparation used in traditional African medicine practice for the treatment of various respiratory tract diseases including asthma. Because of the importance of GK as a herb commonly used in herbal medicine for the treatment of asthma, it becomes necessary to find out the physiological mechanism(s) underlying its use. This paper reviews the function(s) of its phytochemical contents and how they are beneficial in the treatment of asthma. Our review showed that xanthone and flavonoid which are its major phytochemical contents inhibit calcium influx and histamine release stimulated by IgE dependent ligands respectively. In conclusion, Garcinia kola appears to be very promising in the treatment and management of asthma.
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