Medicinal Plants in Tropical West Africa

376 Pages·2009·4.82 MB·English

by  Bep Oliver-Bever

Medicinal plants in tropical West Africa

BEP OLIVER-BEVER
Medicinal plants in
tropical
West Africa
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR
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© Cambridge University Press 1986
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1986
This digitally printed version 2009
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 85-5952
ISBN 978-0-521-26815-8 hardback
ISBN 978-0-521-10544-6 paperback
CONTENTS
Foreword ProfessorG.B.MariniBettolo vii
Preface DrT. A. Lambo ix
Acknowledgements xi
1 Introduction 1
Early traditional medicine 3
Practical therapeutic indications and mechanism of
action of the drugs 6
2 The cardiovascular system 9
I Plants in tropical West Africa with an action on
the cardiovascular system 9
(a) Cardiotonics 10
(b) Cardiac depressants: anti-arrhythmic agents 31
(c) Vascular agents 35
3 The nervous system 56
I CNS stimulants 64
II Plants with a depressant action mainly via the CNS 82
III Peripherally acting depressants of the CN S 92
IV Plants with cholinergic and adrenergic actions 103
4 Anti-infective activity of higher plants 123
I Plants with antibiotic activity 125
(a) Antibacterial plants 125
(b) Antifungal plants 143
(c) Antiviral plants 152
(d) Antiprotozoal plants 160
(e) Antimetozoal plants (anthelmintics) 169
II Plants with insecticidal or molluscicidal activity 176
(a) Insecticidal plants 176
(b) Molluscicidal plants 186
5 Hormones of the adrenal cortex 191
I Introduction: the action of plants on hormone secretion in Man 191
II Plants acting like hormones of the adrenal cortex 192
Anti-inflammatory plants 195
6 Sex hormones and thyroid hormones 215
I Sex hormones 215
(a) Female sex hormones 215
(b) Plants in birth control 218
(c) Male sex hormones (androgens) 241
II Thyroid hormones 241
7 Oral hypoglycaemic action 245
I Plants containing hypoglycaemic phytosterin glycosides 246
II Plants containing hypoglycaemic alkaloids 250
III Plants containing hypoglycaemic organic sulphur compounds 255
IV Hypoglycaemic plants containing anthocyanins, catechols or
flavonoids, or their glycosides and/or tannins 257
V Hypoglycaemic plants containing other active constituents 264
VI Mechanism of action of hypoglycaemic plants 264
VII Sweetening agents 265
Notes 268
References 269
General references 269
References for Chapter 1 270
References for Chapter 2 270
References for Chapter 3 284
References for Chapter 4 306
References for Chapter 5 329
References for Chapter 6 337
References for Chapter 7 347
Botanical and general index 355
FOREWORD
In 1975 I began to be interested in the study of the active principles of African
medicinal plants and searched for relevant literature. At the time I was particularly
interested in receiving more information on West African plants as we were
developing experimental work in collaboration with the Chemistry Department of
the Nigerian University of Nsukka and I became aware of the great difficulty in
finding fairly reliable documentation even on some of the best-known traditional
herbal remedies.
Factors which may account for this are that the local uses were very numerous and
often differed from one tribe, village or healer to another. Also, not only did
superstition play an important part (often both magical purposes and empirical
beliefs were attributed to the plants) but purgatives, diuretics and emetics were often
used to chase the evil influences the people did not understand.
The patient work of some distinguished scholars working in the field in Africa
provided an important contribution to our acquisition of knowledge on the tra-
ditional uses but only a few publications gave a more selective view on the subject.
Among these one of the most relevant to me was the book of Dr Bep Oliver
(Oliver-Bever), Medicinal Plants in Nigeria. She selected uses which were confirmed
by the use of the same plants as cures by primitive populations in other parts of the
world with similar climate, and also those which were likely to have real therapeutic
value from a consideration of the then known chemical and pharmacological
information.
Dr Oliver's book, which was published in Nigeria in 1960, was the best I could
expect for what I needed, but it was out of print and completely unavailable. By
courtesy of the author, who showed me her copy, I managed to obtain photocopies
of some parts and I considered myself very lucky. At the same time I thought that
this important material had to be republished so that this information on the
Nigerian plants could be available to scientists and therefore suggested to Dr Oliver
that she prepare a second edition of her publication.
It was a real pleasure when I learned that Dr Oliver was preparing not just a second
edition of the first book but a new book on medicinal plants in West Africa including
Vlll
much of the information present in the earlier book but covering a larger area and
with up-to-date bibliographical information on botanical, pharmacological and
chemical aspects and properties of the plants.
The book covers a large number of plants. Confronted by the difficulty of finding
a proper classification of the very abundant material, the Author has chosen a
simplified pharmacological approach, presenting in different chapters the plants
with constituents which act on the cardiovascular system, on the nervous system, on
infectious diseases and on hormone secretions in man.
The great interest of this publication is that it contributes to the knowledge of the
basic principles of the plants used in traditional therapy in tropical West Africa. It
provides the exact botanical identity and synonyms of the plants mentioned: many
people involved in the study of African plants found most of their difficulties in
obtaining the exact identification. The book also gives the known chemical aspects
of the active constituents of the plants, based on recent published data.
Parallel to the traditional uses of the mentioned plants a modern pharmacological
appreciation or interpretation is given, and where traditional medicinal uses may
lead to quoting a number of claimed and non-documented results of the treatments
with the plants, the data reported in the above-mentioned sections are presented
scientifically and based on abundant literature.
The interest of the book exists not only in its multidisciplinary aspect but also
because it suggests areas for further research.
In my position as a chemist devoted for many years to research into the biologically
active principles of plants, I found in Dr Oliver's book a great deal of very important
information for research and a basis for an important aspect of traditional medicine
in Africa. This work, to my opinion, fits perfectly in the WHO program on
Traditional Medicine, for a better knowledge of plants used in a vast area of Africa,
and will surely contribute to better health care of these populations.
Professor G. B. Marini Bettolo
Professor of Chemistry, University of Rome
'La Sapienza', Roma
Chairman, Scientific Committee, WHO Coordinating Centre
for Traditional Medicine, Instituto halo Africano, Roma
PREFACE
Plants and herbs have been used by man to cure disease and heal injuries since time
immemorial. In recent years, renewed interest has been shown in the use of
medicinal plants, and scientific studies are beginning to explain some of the curative
phenomena associated with traditional herbal remedies. There has also been
growing awareness by governments, and the scientific and medical communities, of
the importance of medicinal plants in health care systems in many developing
countries. This has led the World Health Organization to develop an international
programme which will, inter alia, review available scientific data relating to the
efficacy of medicinal plants in the treatment of specific conditions and diseases. A
major task therefore will be to identify those plants suitable for use in primary health
care, and to identify simple and/or intermediate technology that will produce
enough drugs and therapeutic agents at low cost.
This work presents clear and concise scientific data on the pharmacology of West
African plants and extends our knowledge of medicinal plants in West Africa. It will
be of particular value to those interested in specific drug applications and will further
encourage research into local herbs which in its turn will generate technology locally;
this is more reliable and more relevant than introduced technology.
The flora of tropical West Africa has for centuries provided a wealth of material
for healing purposes, and its further investigation presents a challenge to scientists
who seek to contribute to the search to find new means of alleviating suffering and
disease.
The author has put many years of labour and meticulous research into this work,
the findings of which are presented clearly and succinctly in this book.
DrT. A. Lambo
Deputy Director-General
World Health Organization
Geneva
9 January 1984