page_title: Traditional African medicine
section_title: Medicinal plants
hierarchical_section_title: Traditional African medicine / Treatments / Medicinal plants
caption_attribution_description: Prunus africana, bark harvested for medicine, Mt. Cameroon
context_page_description: Traditional African medicine is a range of traditional medicine disciplines involving indigenous herbalism and African spirituality, typically including diviners, midwives, and herbalists. Practitioners of traditional African medicine claim to be able to cure a variety of diverse conditions including cancer, psychiatric disorders, high blood pressure, cholera, most venereal diseases, epilepsy, asthma, eczema, fever, anxiety, depression, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infections, gout, and healing of wounds and burns and even Ebola.
  Diagnosis is reached through spiritual means and a treatment is prescribed, usually consisting of a herbal remedy that is considered to have not only healing abilities but also symbolic and spiritual significance. Traditional African medicine, with its belief that illness is not derived from chance occurrences, but through spiritual or social imbalance, differs greatly from modern scientific medicine, which is technically and analytically based.
context_section_description: There are many plants in Africa that can be used for medicinal purposes and more than 4000 are used for this purpose in the tropical regions of Africa. Medicinal plants are used in the treatments of many diseases and illnesses, the uses and effects of which are of growing interest to Western societies. Not only are plants used and chosen for their healing abilities, but they also often have symbolic and spiritual significance. For example, leaves, seeds, and twigs that are white, black and red are seen as especially symbolic or magical and are believed to possess special properties.
  One example of a medicinal plant is Pygeum (Prunus africana), which has been used as a treatment for mild benign prostatic hyperplasia in Europe since the 1970s. Although used extensively in Africa, there is insufficient evidence for its effectiveness in treating fever, inflammation, kidney disease, malaria, stomach aches and other conditions. In traditional African practice, the bark is made into tea, whereas elsewhere in the world it is found in powders, tinctures, and pills.
  A 2007 study investigated the effectiveness of 16 plants, growing in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal region, in lowering blood pressure "by acting as an ACE inhibitor." Of the 16 plants, only one (Tulbaghia violacea) showed promise. It then was tested on rats and "demonstrated hypotensive activity", i.e. reduction of blood pressure. The plants included in the study were:
  Amaranthus dubius, a flowering plant, also known as spleen amaranth
  Amaranthus hybridus, commonly known as smooth pig-weed or slim amaranth
  Amaranthus spinosus, also known as spiny amaranth
  Asystasia gangetica, an ornamental ground cover known as Chinese violet.
  Centella asiatica, a small herbaceous annual plant commonly referred to as Asiatic pennywort
  Ceratotheca triloba, a tall annual plant that flowers in summer sometimes referred to as poppy sue
  Chenopodium album, also called lamb's quarters, this is a weedy annual plant
  Emex australis, commonly known as southern three corner jack
  Galinsoga parviflora, commonly referred to as gallant soldier
  Justicia flava, also known as yellow justicia
  Momordica balsamina, also known as the balsam apple
  Oxygonum sinuatum, an invasive weed with no common name
  Physalis viscosa, known as starhair ground cherry
  Senna occidentalis, a very leafy tropical shrub, also called septic weed
  Solanum nodiflorum, also known as white nightshade
  Tulbaghia violacea,a bulbous plant with hairless leaves often referred to as society or wild garlic.
  A 2008 literature survey was made to assess the botanical knowledge and uses within traditional medicine in Southern Africa for the genus Aloe within the family Asphodeloideae. Most common medical uses were for the treatment of "infections, internal parasites, digestive ailments and injuries." Socially the plants are used as ingredients in tobacco snuff. A 2014 literature survey found that at least 12 palm species in sub-Saharan Africa are used in various ritual practices, including the use of palm oil in healing mixtures.
  In 2016 an in vitro study of the essential oil from Erigeron floribundus, used as a medicinal plant in Cameroon, demonstrated good activity against Staphylococcus aureus, "cytotoxicity on colon carcinoma cells" and "ferric reducing antioxidant power."  Among the constituents of the essential oil are spathulenol and limonene.
  As a result of a study conducted from 2011 to 2016, a traditional medicine from the tropical Olon tree, and another species of genus Zanthoxylum, was found to have synergistic compounds that kill both mosquitoes and their plasmodium parasites.
  A 2000 study of thirty-three species of plants, found in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, that are considered weeds, alien invaders or problem plants were investigated for their uses in traditional medicine. The plants included:
  Anredera cordifolia (iDlula). Swollen feet from poor circulation and/or liver and kidney problems are treated with a leaf poultice, while the sap is used to treat a rash caused by contact with dirty water.
  Araucaria bidwillii (iN
caption: Prunus africana with stripped bark.
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