title: Ethnomedicines and anti-parasitic activities of Pakistani medicinal plants against Plasmodia and Leishmania parasites.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leishmaniasis and malaria are the two most common parasitic diseases and responsible for large number of deaths per year particularly in developing countries like Pakistan. Majority of Pakistan population rely on medicinal plants due to their low socio-economic status. The present review was designed to gather utmost fragmented published data on traditionally used medicinal plants against leishmaniasis and malaria in Pakistan and their scientific validation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pub Med, Google Scholar, Web of Science, ISI Web of knowledge and Flora of Pakistan were searched for the collection of data on ethnomedicinal plants. Total 89 articles were reviewed for present study which was mostly published in English. We selected only those articles in which complete information was given regarding traditional uses of medicinal plants in Pakistan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total of 56 plants (malaria 33, leishmaniasis 23) was found to be used traditionally against reported parasites. Leaves were the most focused plant part both in traditional use and in in vitro screening against both parasites. Most extensively used plant families against Leishmaniasis and Malaria were Lamiaceae and Asteraceae respectively. Out of 56 documented plants only 15 plants (Plasmodia 4, Leishmania 11) were assessed in vitro against these parasites. Mostly crude and ethanolic plant extracts were checked against Leishmania and Plasmodia respectively and showed good inhibition zone. Four pure compounds like artemisinin, physalins and sitosterol extracted from different plants proved their efficacy against these parasites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Present review provides the efficacy and reliability of ethnomedicinal practices and also invites the attention of chemists, pharmacologist and pharmacist to scientifically validate unexplored plants that could lead toward the development of novel anti-malarial and anti-leishmanial drugs.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China. atm_bot@hotmail.com.|Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, 26000, Pakistan. atm_bot@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Akash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tariq
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, 26000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adnan
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, 26000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Rahila
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amber
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.
authors.forename: Kaiwen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, 26000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sakina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mussarat
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Zabta Khan
authors.initials: ZK
authors.lastname: Shinwari
mesh_terms: D019659:Asteraceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D019686:Lamiaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D010154:Pakistan; D021261:Parasitic Sensitivity Tests; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Ethnomedicines; In vitro activities; Leishmaniasis; Malaria; Phytochemicals