A clinical trial of the traditional medicine Vernonia amygdalina in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine : Research on Paradigm, Practice, and Policy
S Challand, Merlin L Willcox

Abstract

The leaves of the shrub Vernonia amygdalina Del (Compositae) are widely used in Africa to treat malaria. It is widely available, accessible, and affordable in many remote areas that do not have ready access to modern medicines. This study examined the efficacy and safety of an infusion of fresh V. amygdalina leaves for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in patients aged 12 years and over. The primary outcome measure was an adequate clinical response. The secondary outcome measure was incidence of adverse events, assumed to be side-effects of the medicine. The remedy was associated with an adequate clinical response (ACR) at day 14 in 67% of cases. However, complete parasite clearance occurred in only 32% of those with ACR, and of these, recrudescence occurred in 71%. There was no evidence of significant side-effects or toxicity from the medication. There was a trend toward a reduction in hemoglobin between day 0 and day 28, although this did not reach statistical significance. Further studies are needed to determine whether the efficacy can be improved by increasing the dose, changing the preparation, or adding other antimalarial plants.

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Citations

Aug 13, 2013·Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases·Kaliyaperumal KarunamoorthiJayaraman Vijayalakshmi
Jul 26, 2011·Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM·Syam MohanManal Mohamed Elhassan
Feb 12, 2013·Journal of Ethnopharmacology·Ngeh J Toyang, Rob Verpoorte
Jan 15, 2016·Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine·Patience TugumeJames Kalema
Dec 17, 2014·BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine·Mohd Ridzuan Mohd Abd RazakZakiah Ismail
Oct 16, 2012·Journal of Ethnopharmacology·Enoche F OgaToshiharu Horie
May 30, 2019·Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene·Yang Jae LeeMerlin Willcox
Jul 4, 2020·Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM·Timothy Omara
Apr 10, 2021·Scientific Reports·Steven LynhamRichard Beatson

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
light microscopy

Software Mentioned

Excel

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Antimalarial Agents (ASM)

Antimalarial agents, also known as antimalarials, are designed to prevent or cure malaria. Discover the latest research on antimalarial agents here.

Antimalarial Agents

Antimalarial agents, also known as antimalarials, are designed to prevent or cure malaria. Discover the latest research on antimalarial agents here.