Ethnopharmacological survey of six medicinal plants used in the traditional treatment of urinary tract infections and other infectious diseases

Abstract

Benin has attractive ethnobotanical potential with a vast diversity of medicinal plants widely used to treat human diseases. Urinary tract infections are among the diseases traditionally treated by medicinal plants. Mangifera indica, Bridelia ferruginea, Alstonia boonei, Morodora myristica, Xylopia aethiopica and Zanthoxylum zantoxyloides are six plants used in the traditional treatment of urinary infections in Benin. The general objective of this study was to identify the ethnopharmacological uses of these six plants used in traditional medicine in South Benin. To this end, an ethnopharmacological survey was conducted using the semi-structured interview method among herbalists in the markets of South Benin. The ethnobotanical data collected were analyzed using the use-value, the informant consensus factor and the medicinal plant fidelity index. A total of 98 herbalists participated in this study. The six plants studied were involved in 15 different diseases divided into seven disease categories. The most mentioned disease categories are infectious diseases, blood and digestive diseases. Malaria, ulcers, anemia and urinary tract infections are the pathologies most commonly treated by these plants. Informants agreed on the use of these plants in these disease categories. Bark, leafy stems and roots are the parts of the plants most used to treat diseases. Decoction and maceration are the two main methods of preparation, and the oral and cutaneous routes are the main routes of administration. These data constitute ethnopharmacological documentation that can be used for further pharmacological and toxicological studies.

Assessment of Larval Toxicity and the Teratogenic Effect of Three Medicinal Plants Used in the Traditional Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections in Benin

“…In Benin, the use of medicinal plants is an essential practice of the culture and for the traditional health system. Mangifera indica Linn, Bridelia ferruginea Benth, and Alstonia boonei De Wild are three plants commonly used in the traditional treatment of urinary tract infections in Benin [ 8 ]. Several studies have established the toxicological profile of these plants.…”

“…In addition, these plants are heavily used by the pregnant women to treat bacterial infections [ 8 ]. This study evaluated the cytotoxic and teratogenic effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Mangifera indica Linn, Bridelia ferruginea Benth, and Alstonia boonei De Wild on Artemia salina larvae and hen embryos.…”

Ethnobotanical Study of Plants Used in the Management of Benign Prostate Hyperplasia in Ilorin, Nigeria

“…This may be due to their all-year-round availability and because they contain some essential secondary metabolites responsible for their various therapeutic activities as also alluded to by Agbodjento et al, (2020). Previous studies have also shown that the leaves and fruits are the most used by traditional healers and the choice of plant part used is believed to have little or no negative impact on sustainability and conservation as those plant parts used can easily be regenerated and are usually available all year round (Assogba et al, 2021). The habits of the plant species that are mostly used are shrubs and trees likely because of their all-year-round availability.…”

“…The majority of the respondents are elderly, aged between 60 years and above representing 40% with others aged between 41-59 representing 38% of the respondents who participated in the study. It is generally held in Africa that elderly people hold knowledge of medicinal plants as ethno-therapeutic agents (Assogba et al, 2021) hence a larger percentage of respondents are elders. Medicinal knowledge of plants represents ancestral knowledge transferred from generation to generation.…”