title: Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King & H. Rob. (Asteraceae) in sub-Saharan Africa: A synthesis and review of its medicinal potential.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King & H. Rob. (Asteraceae) is a scrambling perennial shrub that originated in the Americas, but is now common in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Oceania, where it has become a serious weed. The species, particularly the biotype found in Asia and West Africa, has many ethnopharmacological uses, including treatment of malaria, wounds, diarrhoea, skin infection, toothache, dysentery, stomach ache, sore throat, convulsions, piles, coughs and colds. Furthermore, no attempt has been made to synthesise and review the available literature on the usefulness of the plant in the sub-Saharan African region, hence this paper examines the beneficial attributes of C. odorata in sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Published information on the species was gathered by the use of different database platforms, including Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, SciFinder and Scopus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Records indicate that two biotypes of C. odorata are present in sub-Saharan Africa viz. the more widespread Asian/West African C. odorata biotype (AWAB) and the southern African biotype (SAB). While the usefulness of the former is well elucidated in the literature, such information on the latter is still scarce. Although the importance of AWAB C. odorata as a fallow species and as a soil fertility improvement plant in the slash and burn rotation system of agriculture in West Africa is increasingly being recognised, its usage in traditional medicinal practice is far more appreciated. The species has a wide range of ethnopharmacological uses, possibly because of the presence of flavonoids, essential oils, phenolics, tannins and saponins. The plant is reported to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anthelminthic, antifungal, cytotoxic, anticonvulsant, antiprotozoal, antispasmodic, antipyretic and analgesic properties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While the results of this review suggest that the AWAB plant can be exploited as an alternative to other threatened plant species known to possess similar medicinal potential, the medicinal and pharmacological potential of the SAB plant remains to be established. Further studies on the phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of the SAB plants will not only advance our knowledge of ethnobotany and ethnomedicine, but may also improve the health and knowledge of the local people.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
authors.forename: Aitebiremen G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Omokhua
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
authors.forename: Lyndy J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: McGaw
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.
authors.forename: Jeffrey F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Finnie
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa. Electronic address: rcpgd.ukzn.@ac.za.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Staden
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D019659:Asteraceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D036604:Chromolaena / Q000737:chemistry*; D020834:Ethnopharmacology / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000379:methods; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations
keywords: Biotype; Chromolaena odorata; Pharmacology; Sub-Saharan Africa; Weed