Antimalarial Activity of Some Kenyan Medicinal Plants

This paper describes the in vitro antimalarial activity of eight species of plants popularly used traditionally to treat malaria in Kenya. Organic and aqueous extracts from different parts of the plants were tested. Generally, a stronger antimalarial activity was observed in the organic extracts. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPharmaceutical biology Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 329 - 334
Main Authors Oketch-Rabah, H.A, Dossaji, S.F., Mberu, E.K.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Lisse Informa UK Ltd 1999
Taylor & Francis
Swets & Zeitlinger
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
General pharmacology
Medical sciences
Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Kenya
Africa
Protozoa
Antimalarial
Plasmodium falciparum
Apicomplexa
Folk medicine
Pharmacognosy
Parasiticid
Plant origin
In vitro
Biological activity
Medicinal plant
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Summary:This paper describes the in vitro antimalarial activity of eight species of plants popularly used traditionally to treat malaria in Kenya. Organic and aqueous extracts from different parts of the plants were tested. Generally, a stronger antimalarial activity was observed in the organic extracts. The most active extracts were of Vernonia brachycalyx O. Hoffm. Schreber. (Compositae) leaves which showed an IC 50 of 6.6 µg/ml for methylene chloride: ethyl acetate (1:1) extracts, while the aqueous and more polar methanolic extracts gave IC 50 values of 29.6 and 30 µg/ml, respectively. The findings of this study support the use of this plant as a traditional remedy for malaria. The rest of the plants tested gave IC 50 values between 30-100 µg/ml.
ISSN:1388-0209
1744-5116
DOI:10.1076/phbi.37.5.329.6053