Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World Mohamed Neff ati Hanen Najjaa Ákos Máthé Editors Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World - Africa Volume 3 123 Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World Volume 3 Series Editor Ákos Máthé University of West Hungary Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11192 Mohamed Neffati • Hanen Najjaa Ákos Máthé Editors Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World - Africa Volume 3 Editors Mohamed Neffati Hanen Najjaa Arid Zone Research Institute Min of Agriculture, Range Ecology Médenine, Tunisia Laboratory Arid Zone Research Institute Ákos Máthé Médenine, Tunisia Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science University of West Hungary Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary ISSN 2352-6831 ISSN 2352-684X (electronic) Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World ISBN 978-94-024-1119-5 ISBN 978-94-024-1120-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-024-1120-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017944445 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017 This work is subject to copyright. 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Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Science+Business Media B.V. The registered company address is: Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 GX Dordrecht, The Netherlands Foreword The utilization of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) dates back to the b eginnings of mankind. This fact is increasingly true in the case of Africa, a continent that is considered to be the cradle of mankind. The rich and diverse flora of Africa has been basis/home for the evolution of African traditional medicine. This holistic discipline incorporates the use of natural plant resources (in the form of indigenous herbalism) as well as African spirituality. In the course of millennia, through the ages, the use of MAPs has also seen extreme development, so that to date, the most sophisticated medicines are already available on the African continent as well. Nonetheless, healing with medicinal plants has retained its central place in the life of the masses. Beyond traditions, this can be attributed to the fact that synthetic medicines are still simply not affordable for many. Scientific progress has brought about a progress also in the use of traditional medicinal plants. This means that the medicinal and aromatic plants historically used by the practitioners of traditional African medicine (diviners, midwives, herb- alists) are being gradually subjected to scientific investigations. Modern pharmacy wants to isolate and utilize their active principles in the form of modern preparation forms that – in turn – can be rendered accessible to consumers already on a global scale. As a result of this briefly (schematically) described process, the MAP resources – formerly used only by the local people – must come up to cover global demands. Obviously, this is not possible without farther protection, sustainable management and, as an ultimate option, cultivation. In view of the intensive R+D activities into African MAPs, the special literature abounds in publications. Although even the present pace of research is not consid- ered as sufficient by many, from handbooks to clinical research papers, the number of both comprehensive and specific publications related to MAPs is imposing. Volume 3 distinguishes itself from most available volumes on African MAPs by avoiding the semblance of completeness. Squeezing all knowledge into one volume would be absolutely impossible. v vi Foreword Starting out from an overview of the status of MAPs in Africa, two introductory chapters offer most comprehensive, valuable reviews of most important African MAPs, as well as their traditional uses. The chapters to follow are compilations of up-to-date information on selected characteristic African MAP species (e.g. African cherry, bird plum), geographic regions (East and North Africa, Mauritius, sub-Saharan Africa, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia) or MAPs growing under special ecological conditions (arid and desert zones) and in cultivation, in Nigeria. In most contributions the utilization, botanical, phytochemical as well as pharmacological properties/traditional medicinal uses, of relevant species will be discussed. It is unhidden hope of the author’s collective that the volume will serve as a use- ful and updated complement to what has already been achieved in summarizing and publishing basic knowledge on African medicinal and aromatic plants. Médenine, Tunisia Mohamed Neffati Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary Ákos Máthé Médenine, Tunisia Hanen Najjaa Contents Introduction to Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Africa .......................... 1 Ákos Máthé, Mohamed Neffati, and Hanen Najjaa A Review of African Medicinal and Aromatic Plants ................................. 19 Ben-Erik Van Wyk Traditional Use of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Africa ..................... 61 Olufunke O. Fajinmi, Olaoluwa O. Olarewaju, and J. Van Staden Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World – Africa ................................ 77 Ossy M. J. Kasilo, Mawuli Kofi-Tsekpo, and Francis Gachathi Some Important Aromatic and Medicinal Plants of Morocco .................... 91 Saadia Zrira Prunus africana (Hook. f.) Kalkman (the African Cherry) ......................... 127 Mélissa Rousseau, Claire Delvaux, Ezekiel Edward Mwakalukwa, Lawrence Mbwambo, Marie Caroline Momo Solefack, Harisoa Bako Ravaomanalina, Coert J. Geldenhuys, Ntamwira Niranda Seintsheng, Nils Bourland, and Hans Beeckman Bird Plum; Berchemia discolor (Klotzsch) Hemsl.: A Review of Its Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology ............................. 143 Ahmad Cheikhyoussef and Alfred Maroyi Aromatic and Medicinal Plants of Tunisian Arid and Desert Zone Used in Traditional Medicine, for Drug Discovery and Biotechnological Applications ................................................................. 157 Hanen Najjaa, Abdelkarim Ben Arfa, Ákos Máthé, and Mohamed Neffati Promising Indigenous and Endemic Medicinal Plants from Mauritius ................................................................................................ 231 Mohamad Fawzi Mahomoodally and Muhammad Zakariyyah Aumeeruddy vii viii Contents Some Wild Herbaceous Plants of Nigeria: A Biological, Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical Review .............................................. 249 Sunday E. Atawodi, Mubarak L. Liman, Olufunsho D. Olowoniyi, and Godwin O. Adejo Phytochemical, Pharmacological and Therapeutic Potentials of Some Wild Nigerian Medicinal Trees ........................................................ 283 Sunday E. Atawodi, Olufunsho D. Olowoniyi, Godwin O. Adejo, and Mubarak L. Liman Biological, Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical Review of Some Cultivated Medicinal Plants of Nigeria .......................................... 311 Sunday E. Atawodi, Godwin O. Adejo, Olufunsho D. Olowoniyi, and Mubarak L. Liman The Halophytic Genus Zygophyllum and Nitraria from North Africa: A Phytochemical and Pharmacological Overview .......................... 345 Soumaya Bourgou, Wided Megdiche, and Riadh Ksouri In vivo Anticandida Activity of Three Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants in East Africa ....................................................................................... 357 D.P. Kisangau, K.M. Hosea, H.V.M. Lyaruu, C.C. Josep, Z.H. Mbwambo, and P.J. Masimba Wild Edible Allium Species from Arid Zones of Tunisia: New Perspectives of Natural Compounds ..................................................... 375 Hanen Najjaa, Abelkarim Ben Arfa, and Mohamed Neffati Utilization of Pteridophytes as Herbal Medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa .................................................................................... 383 Alfred Maroyi Index ................................................................................................................. 409 Introduction to Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Africa Ákos Máthé, Mohamed Neffati, and Hanen Najjaa Abstract Natural substances of plant origin, have been used by man from the very early times of civilizations. Traditional Medicine (TM), a heritage of Africa, is still servicing approx. 80% of the population of this huge continent comprizing 55 coun- tries, 800 languages and an unmeasurable wealth of plant diversity. The continent with a varied flora of an estimated 68,000 plant species is home to about 35,000 endemic species (Cunningham A, African medicinal plants. Setting priorities at the interface between conservation. UNESCO, Paris, 1993), growing in seven centers of endemism. Africa’s not yet fully explored medicinal plant resources frequently come into the forefront of interest. The recent upsurge is witnessed by the fact that ca. 60% of all recent publications on African medicinal plants, appeared during the last decade. There is a tremendous potential for developing new crops and new products. Research into MAPs seem to offer a nearly unlimited scope for explora- tion. The ongoing screening for the biological activity of MAPs is also broad and covers several important health related aspects including antimalarial and other antiprotozoal products, anti-proliferative potential, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, anti-diabetes activity antioxidant activity and activity on the reproductive cardiovascular and central nervous systems, etc. Despite of this marked recent increase, Africa is lagging behind Europe and Asia in terms of the number of prod- ucts that have been commercialized and the percentage of flora utilized for interna- tional trade. The growing demand on resources, however, has resulted, in some cases, the overexploitation, the occasional local disappearance of favored sources of botanicals and have reduced the diversity of species. By elaborating international and national standards of sustainability, these dangers should be either eased or eradicated. Domestication of wild-crafted species can also contribute to preserve the genetic resources and to reduce the sometimes imminent threats of extinction. The recent initiative to develop national and ultimately an African Herbal Á. Máthé (*) Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science, University of West Hungary, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary e-mail: [email protected] M. Neffati • H. Najjaa Arid Zone Research Institute, 4119 Médenine, Tunisia e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017 1 M. Neffati et al. (eds.), Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World - Africa Volume 3, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World, DOI 10.1007/978-94-024-1120-1_1