title: Ethnobotanical study of some Ghanaian anti-malarial plants.
abstract: An ethnobotanical study was conducted in the Wechiau Community Hippopotamus Sanctuary area in Ghana, through interviews and quadrate studies, to investigate the range and abundance of species used in the treatment of malaria. Forty-one species belonging to 17 families were encountered during the study. Of the 17 families studied Leguminosae and Anacardiaceae predominated in terms of number of species used to treat malaria. Eight plant species namely, Afraegle paniculata (Rutaceae), Haematostaphis barteri (Anacardiaceae), Indigo era pulchra (Leguminosae), Monanthotaxis sp. (Annonaceae), Ozoroa insignis (Anacardiaceae), Strychnos innocua (Loganiaceae), Strychnos spinosa (Loganiaceae) and Xeroderris stuhlmannii (Leguminosae) have not previously been documented for the treatment of malaria in Ghana. The results are discussed and recommendations made for future research to support the conservation and sustainable harvesting of the species reported to have medicinal properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 55 Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asase
authors.forename: Alfred A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Oteng-Yeboah
authors.forename: George T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Odamtten
authors.forename: Monique S J
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Simmonds
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019448:Ethnobotany; D005869:Ghana; D006801:Humans; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D010936:Plant Extracts