Lannea Schimperi: Review of Its Botany, Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry, and Biological Activities

Abstract

Lannea schimperi is a well-known fruit tree and medicinal plant in tropical Africa. The current study critically reviewed the botany, medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of L. schimperi. Literature on botany, medicinal uses, phytochemical and biological activities of L. schimperi were collected from multiple internet sources including Elsevier, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Web of Science, PubMed, BMC, ScienceDirect, and Scopus. Complementary information was gathered from pre-electronic sources such as books, book chapters, theses, scientific reports, and journal articles obtained from the University Library. This study revealed that the species is used as a source of fiber, edible fruits, and herbal medicine. Phytochemical compounds identified from the species include cyclohexenones, cardanols, alkaloids, anthocyanins, anthracene glycosides, carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, carotenoids, condensed tannins, coumarins, flavonoids, phenolic glycosides, phenols, polyoses, polyuronoids, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids, tannins, triterpenoids, and volatile compounds. Pharmacological research revealed that extracts and phytochemical constituents isolated from L. schimperi have anesthetic, antibacterial, antifungal, anticoccidial, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antioxidant, anti-trypanosoma, antiulcerogenic, cytotoxicity, and toxicity activities. L. schimperi should be subjected to detailed phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological evaluations aimed at correlating its medicinal uses with its phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the species.

Taxonomic revision of Australian <i>Erythrophleum</i> (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) including description of two new species

“…Erythrophleum as a genus includes the African ordeal trees (Maroyi 2019;Chauke and Kritzinger 2020;De Meyer 2023), so it is not surprising that the Australian species are highly toxic and are also utilised for medicinal purposes (Quattrocchi 2016). Australian Erythrophleum is well known as a stock poison (Hall 1964;Cribb and Cribb 1981;Harborne and Baxter 1996).…”

“…(Gagnepain 1952). In Australia, Erythrophleum is widespread and locally common, but most other species in the genus are threatened to varying degrees by exploitation for medicinal or timber resources, or by development (Okeyo 2012;Missanjo et al 2017;Maroyi 2019;Wang et al 2019; Chauke and Kritzinger 2020; Delporte et al 2021;De Meyer 2023).…”