A review of the traditional use of southern African medicinal plants for the treatment of malaria

Abstract

Ethnopharmalogical relevance: Malaria is one of the most prevalent and deadly parasitic diseases globally, with over 200 million new cases and nearly 500,000 deaths reported annually. It is estimated that approximately half of the world's population lives in malaria endemic areas. Malaria is substantially less prevalent in South Africa than in other African regions and the disease is limited to some regions of the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. However, it still has a significant impact on the health of the populations living in those regions. Traditional medicines have long been used in South Africa by multiple ethic groups and many people continue to rely on these natural therapies for their healthcare. The usage of South African medicinal plants in several traditional healing systems to treat malaria have been documented (particularly for Zulu and Venda traditional medicine), although ethnobotanical investigations of other ethnic groups living in endemic malaria areas remains relatively neglected.

Aim of the study: To document the use of South African medicinal plants known to be used traditionally to treat Plasmodium spp. infections. We also critically reviewed the literature on the therapeutic properties of these and other South African plants screened against Plasmodium spp. parasites with the aim of highlighting neglected studies and fostering future research in this area.

Materials and methods: Books and ethnobotanical reviews were examined for medicinal plants used specifically for fever. Exclusion criteria were studies not involving southern African medicinal plants. Furthermore, while fever is a common symptom of malaria, if not accompanied by the term "malaria" it was not considered. Databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Google Scholar were used to source research relevant to southern African plants and malaria. Exclusion criteria were those publications where full articles could not be accessed.

Results: Eighty South African plant species were identified as traditional therapies for malaria. The majority of these species were documented in Zulu ethnobotanical records, despite malaria occurring in only a relatively small portion of the Zulu's traditional territory. Surprisingly, far fewer species were reported to be used by Venda, Ndebele, northern Sotho, Tsonga, Tswana, and Pedi people, despite them living in endemic malaria areas. Interestingly many of the identified species have not been investigated further. This review summarises the available ethnobotanical and laboratory research in this field, with the aim of promoting and focusing research on priority areas.

Conclusion: Although malaria remains a serious disease affecting millions of people, medicinal plants while used extensively, have not been given the attention warranted for further investigation.

Keywords: Parasite; Plasmodium falciparum; Traditional medicine.