Integration of medicinal plants into the traditional system of medicine for the treatment of cancer in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Ibrahim Malami; Nasiru Muhammad Jagaba; Ibrahim Babangida Abubakar; Aliyu Muhammad; Alhassan Muhammad Alhassan; Peter Maitama Waziri; Ibrahim Zakiyya Yakubu Yahaya; Halilu Emmanuel Mshelia; Sylvester Nefy Mathias

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04830

Integration of medicinal plants into the traditional system of medicine for the treatment of cancer in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Heliyon. 2020 Sep 2;6(9):e04830. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04830. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Authors

Ibrahim Malami^{1

2}, Nasiru Muhammad Jagaba¹, Ibrahim Babangida Abubakar³, Aliyu Muhammad⁴, Alhassan Muhammad Alhassan⁵, Peter Maitama Waziri⁶, Ibrahim Zakiyya Yakubu Yahaya¹, Halilu Emmanuel Mshelia¹, Sylvester Nefy Mathias¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacognosy and Ethnopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, PMB 2346, Sokoto, Nigeria.
² Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training (CAMRET), Usmanu Danfodiyo University, PMB 2346, Sokoto, Nigeria.
³ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero, PMB 1144, Kebbi State, Nigeria.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, 810271, Nigeria.
⁵ Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, PMB 2346, Sokoto, Nigeria.
⁶ Department of Biochemistry, Kaduna State University, Main Campus, PMB 2336, Kaduna, Nigeria.

Abstract

This study was designed to explore and record various medicinal plants integrated into the traditional system of medicine for the treatment of cancer. The traditional system of medicine is a routine practiced among the indigenous ethnic groups of Sokoto state. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed and used for data collection around the selected Local Government Areas. A substantial number of plant species were identified, recorded, and collected for preservation. Data collected for each specie was analysed to assess its frequent use among the medicinal plants. A total of 67 species belonging to 31 families have been identified and recorded. Out of the 473 frequency of citation (FC), Acacia nilotica was the most frequently cited specie (32 FC, 64% FC, 0.6 RFC), followed by Guiera senegalensis (27 FC, 54% FC, 0.5 RFC), Erythrina sigmoidea (17 FC, 34% FC, 0.3 RFC), and subsequently Combretum camporum (15 FC, 30% FC, 0.3 RFC). The most common parts of the plants used include the barks (55.2%), the roots (53.2%), and the leaves (41.8%). Additionally, decoction (74.6%), powdered form (49.3%), and maceration (46.3%) are the most frequently used mode of preparation. The historical knowledge of a traditional system of medicine practiced by the native traditional healers of Sokoto for the treatment of cancer has been documented. The present study further provides a baseline for future pharmacological investigations into the beneficial effects of such medicinal plants for the treatment of cancer.

Keywords: Alternative medicine; Cancer; Cancer research; Ethnobotanical survey; Ethnopharmacology; Integrative medicine; Medicinal plants; Pharmaceutical science; Pharmacology; Sokoto state; Traditional medicine practice.