Medicinal Plants in Treating Hepatitis B Among Communities of Central Region of Ethiopia

Gizachew Beykaso; Tilahun Teklehaymanot; Andargachew Mulu; Nega Berhe; Dawit Hailu Alemayehu; Mirutse Giday

doi:10.2147/HMER.S440351

Medicinal Plants in Treating Hepatitis B Among Communities of Central Region of Ethiopia

Hepat Med. 2023 Dec 29:15:265-277. doi: 10.2147/HMER.S440351. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Gizachew Beykaso¹, Tilahun Teklehaymanot², Andargachew Mulu³, Nega Berhe², Dawit Hailu Alemayehu³, Mirutse Giday²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Wachemo University, Hossana, Ethiopia.
² Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Virology, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Purpose: In Ethiopia, most people rely heavily on traditional therapeutic plants that have been used for years. The practice of traditional medicines use to treat hepatitis is currently gaining popularity due to the limited availability and affordability of modern drugs. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the traditional medicinal plants use to treat viral hepatitis among communities of Central region of Ethiopia.

Methods: Data was collected from November 2018 to December 2021 in Central Ethiopia. An open-ended semi-structured interview was used among purposively selected herbalists, traditional medicine entrepreneurs, village heads, and patients visiting traditional healers for hepatitis treatments. A 5 mL blood sample was collected from patients who visited a traditional healers' clinic for hepatitis treatment and tested for HBsAg and HCV-antibody by using ELISA. Among HBsAg-positives, further nucleic acid test for HBV-DNA load was assessed to measure the effects of prescribed medicinal plants.

Results: Herbalists cited 24 plants that were used for hepatitis treatment; of which Rumex nepalensis, Vangueria apiculata, and Solanum incanum were the most frequently cited plants. Remedies were commonly prepared by crushing or powdering, mixing them with water, and taken orally. Forty-two individuals were diagnosed and treated as hepatitis patients by herbalists, of which eight of them were HBsAg-positive but no positives for anti-HCV ELISA. At the third and sixth months of viral load assessment among HBsAg-positive, serum HBV-DNA suppression was observed in three individuals treated with different combinations of frequently cited plants.

Conclusion: In this study, traditional healers used various plants to treat hepatitis. HBV-DNA suppressive activity was detected in three NAT-positive individuals who were treated by using a mixture of these frequently cited and highest preference-ranked plants. This suggests that these plants have antiviral properties and serve as a basis for more pharmacological research in the quest for new antiviral agents.

Keywords: Central Ethiopia; hepatitis; medicinal plants.

Grants and funding

The grants provided by Wachemo and Addis Ababa Universities allowed for the funding of this study. The decision to publish, data collection and analysis, study design, or paper preparation were all done without the funder’s involvement.