Ethnopharmacological Survey on Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers in Central and Kara Regions of Togo for Antitumor and Chronic Wound Healing Effects

Abstract

Cancer is an emerging public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Several medicinal plants are used by traditional healers to treat tumors. In Togo, there are no recorded data for these plants but traditional healers claim to cure tumors with some success. So, information on medicinal plants used to cure human tumors and cancer could be of great importance for their widespread use and scientific validation. e present ethnopharmacological survey aims to record information on antitumor plants in central and Kara regions of Togo. Semistructured validated questionnaires were administered to fifty-seven traditional healers specialized in tumor management in 7 prefectures of Togo. Good practices and know-how were recorded. Quantitative ethnobotanical tools were used to analyze and summarize the data collected. 85 recipes of medicinal plants for tumors management are provided. In the local dialect, 78.95% of traditional healers do not have a clear tumor designation and 29.90% find that the causes of tumors remain unknown. According to 48.78% of traditional healers, the diagnosis of tumors in patients is made in the hospital. e types of tumors frequently treated are those of the breast (43.75%) and the lung (16.67%). e seventy listed medicinal plants belong to thirty-nine families, the most represented being Rubiaceae (17.95%), Caesalpiniaceae (12.82%), Fabaceae (10.26%), and Annonaceae (7.69%). e ten most cited species were Xylopia aethiopica, Aframomum melegueta, Khaya senegalensis, Parkia biglobosa, Piliostigma thonningii, Blighia sapida, Vitellaria paradoxa, Adansonia digitata, Annona muricata, and Parinari curatellifolia. Most of the recipes are prepared as decoction (40%) and administered orally (54.12%). Both regions of our study have a wealth of medicinal plants, and traditional healers would use their local knowledge in the management of various tumors and chronic wounds.

Ethnomedicinal Information on Plants Used for the Treatment of Bone Fractures, Wounds, and Sprains in the Northern Region of the Republic of Benin

“…Te sociodemographic characteristics of the traditional healers are presented in Table 1. Te age distribution demonstrates that elders were more involved in this practice than young people, which was also revealed in studies carried out in Togo and Ethiopia [96,97]. According to the results, women in this practice were in the minority, which confrms the fndings of Upadhya et al [8].…”

Use of Medicinal Plants by Cancer Patients Under Chemotherapy in the Northwest of Morocco (Rabat Area) : Cross-Sectional Study

“…Previous studies have confirmed high numbers 3 , 4 , 16 , 17 , 23 , 28 , 30 – 32 while other studies have shown low numbers. 25 , 33 – 36 …”

“…The frequent use of fenugreek and turmeric by cancer patients has also reported by some previous Moroccan studies. 4 – 17 Other studies have also revealed the frequency of use of garlic 22 , 23 – 25 as well as the use of turmeric 22 – 37 and also for thyme. 37…”

“…Previous studies have confirmed high numbers 3,4,16,17,23,28,[30][31][32] while other studies have shown low numbers. 25,[33][34][35][36] This results show that participants uses more "euphorbia honey" (40%), garlic (13%), turmeric, fenugreek and thyme (11% each). The frequent use of fenugreek and turmeric by cancer patients has also reported by some previous Moroccan studies.…”

Genotoxicity Assessment and Protective Effect of Anogeissus leiocarpus Roots against Cyclophosphamide-Induced DNA Damage In Vivo

“…Plants may offer new alternatives to these limited therapeutic options. erefore, it has been an increased scientific interest in the study of materials from a plant source as an anticancer compound [10,11]. Many studies in the literature have reported the expressive anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic activities of plants that contained phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins due to their antioxidant properties [12][13][14].…”