Herbs and herbal combinations used to treat suspected malaria in Bo, Sierra Leone

Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Shamika RanasingheKathryn H Jacobsen

Abstract

Most adults in West Africa treat acute febrile illnesses with local herbs, but the patterns of herbs used for malaria have not been recently described in Sierra Leone. We used a population-based cross-sectional approach to interview 810 randomly-sampled rural and urban adult residents of Bo, Sierra Leone, in December 2013 and January 2014 about their use of herbal remedies when they suspect they have malaria. In total, 55% of the participants reported taking one or more of seven herbs to treat symptoms of malaria. Among herb users, the most commonly used anti-malarial herbs were Moringa oleifera (moringa, 52%) and Sarcocephalus latifolius (yumbuyambay, 50%). The other herbs used included Senna siamea (shekutoure, 18%), Cassia sieberiana (gbangba, 18%), Uvaria afzelii (gone-botai, 14%), Morinda chrysorhiza (njasui, 14%), and Craterispermum laurinum (nyelleh, 7%). Combination herbal therapy was common, with 37% of herb users taking two or more herbs together when ill with suspected malaria. Indigenous medical knowledge about herbal remedies and combinations of local herbs remains an integral part of malaria case management in Sierra Leone.

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Citations

Jan 7, 2016·Journal of Ethnopharmacology·Madje S KpodarJacques Simpore
Mar 17, 2019·Molecules : a Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry·Rui ZhangCheng-Lan Liu
Aug 19, 2020·Nature Medicine·Rashid AnsumanaAlimuddin Zumla
Jun 1, 2018·Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM·Peter Bai JamesStephen Sevalie
Jan 8, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Camilla Midtgaard EriksenGabriel Gulis

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