Medicinal plants used to treat TB in Ghana

Joseph Mwanzia Nguta; Regina Appiah-Opong; Alexander K Nyarko; Dorothy Yeboah-Manu; Phyllis G A Addo

doi:10.1016/j.ijmyco.2015.02.003

Medicinal plants used to treat TB in Ghana

Int J Mycobacteriol. 2015 Jun;4(2):116-23. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmyco.2015.02.003. Epub 2015 Mar 28.

Authors

Joseph Mwanzia Nguta¹, Regina Appiah-Opong², Alexander K Nyarko², Dorothy Yeboah-Manu³, Phyllis G A Addo⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Pathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Ghana; Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
² Department of Clinical Pathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Ghana.
³ Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Ghana.
⁴ Department of Animal Experimentation, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Ghana.

PMID: 26972879
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmyco.2015.02.003

Abstract

Aims: The current study was designed to document medicinal plant species that are traditionally used to treat tuberculosis (TB) by Ghanaian communities.

Methods: The medicinal plants used against TB or its signs and symptoms were selected using library and online published data searches. A guided questionnaire interview was also conducted with a botanist involved in plant collection at the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine (CSRPM) at Mampong. Data obtained were entered in Excel and summarized into means and frequencies using SPSS 12.0.1 for windows, and expressed as tables and bar graphs.

Results: A total of 15 medicinal plant species distributed between 13 genera and 13 families were documented. The following medicinal plant species were found to be used against TB in Greater Accra and Eastern parts of Ghana: Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Stem bark (Meliaceae), Hygrophila auriculata Heine, whole plant (Acanthaceae), Chenopodium ambrosioides L. leaves (Amaranthaceae), Coix lacryma-jobi L. glumes (Poaceae), Solanum torvum Sw. unripe fruits (Solanaceae), Solanum torvum Sw. leaves (Solanaceae), Bidens pilosa L. whole plant (Asteraceae), Phyllanthus fraternus G.L. Webster leaves (Phyllanthaceae), Dissotis rotundifolia (Sm.) Triana, leaves (Melastomataceae), Cymbopogon giganteus Chiov. Leaves (Poaceae), Cyperus articulatus L. roots (Cyperaceae), Allium sativum L. bulb (Amaryllidaceae), Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizomes (Zingiberaceae), Allium cepa L. bulbs (Amaryllidaceae), Allium cepa L. leaves (Amaryllidaceae), Aloe vera var. barbadensis aqueous extract from leaves (Xanthorrhoeaceae), Aloe vera var. barbadensis organic extract from leaves (Xanthorrhoeaceae), Cocos nucifera Linn, water (Arecaceae) and Cocos nucifera Linn. Husk (Arecaceae).

Conclusions: The collected plant species could be a source of a new class of drugs against TB. Bioactivity guided fractionation is recommended to identify lead compounds for antimycobacterial activity. The current paper documents for the first time medicinal plant species used by Ghanaian communities to treat TB. These results are a basis for selection of plants for further pharmacological, toxicological and phytochemical studies in developing new plant-based antimycobacterial drugs.

Keywords: Ghana; Medicinal plants; Tuberculosis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antitubercular Agents / pharmacology*
Ghana
Mycobacterium tuberculosis / drug effects*
Mycobacterium tuberculosis / physiology
Phytotherapy
Plant Extracts / pharmacokinetics*
Plant Leaves
Plants, Medicinal / chemistry*
Plants, Medicinal / classification

Substances

Antitubercular Agents
Plant Extracts