@article {659, title = {Medicinal Plants Use in Central Togo (Africa) with an Emphasis on the Timing}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {4}, year = {2012}, month = {april,2012}, pages = {92-103}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {92}, abstract = {

Background: Plant-based remedies continue to play a key role in the health care of people in Togo; however, there is a lack of published data in medicinal plants and medical practices of the people in the country. Objective: This study was aimed at documenting the plant utilization in the Tem folk medicine in the central region of Togo. Materials and Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted with traditional healers in the central region of Togo using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: This study demonstrated that local specialists in the central region of Togo tend to agree with each other in terms of the plants used to treat diabetes (ICF = 0.38), infertility, and abdominal pains (ICF = 0.33), but cite a much more diverse groups of plants to treat problems related to arterial hypertension, sickle cell disease, and abscess. They use 144 herbal concoctions made of 72 plants, distributed among 36 botanical families. The Euphorbiaceae family with eight species was best represented in terms of the number of species. The species with the highest use value were Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss. (Meliaceae) (UV = 0.36), Anthocleista djalonensis A. Chev. (Gentianaceae) (UV = 0.27), Trichilia emetica Vahl (Meliaceae) (UV = 0.25), and Sarcocephalus latifolius (Sm.) E. A. Bruce (Rubiaceae) (UV = 0.21). They also rely on the timing in the plant processing and the administration of herbal remedies. Conclusion: All these findings are based on empirical observations; laboratory screenings are needed to check the effectiveness of these plants.

}, keywords = {Chronobiology, Chronotherapy, Folk medicine, Herbal concoctions, Plant administration, Traditional healers.}, doi = { 10.4103/0974-8490.94724}, author = {Tchadjobo Tchacondo and Simplice D Karou and Am{\'e}gninou Agban and Mamouda Bako and Komlan Batawila and Moctar L Bawa and Mensavi Gbeassor and Comlan de Souza} } @article {669, title = {Screening Togolese Medicinal Plants for Few Pharmacological Properties}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {4}, year = {2012}, month = {april,2012}, pages = {116-122}, chapter = {116}, abstract = {

Background: Terminalia macroptera Guill. et Perr. (Combretaceae), Sida alba L. (Malvaceae), Prosopis africana Guill et Perr. Taub. (Mimosaceae), Bridelia ferruginea Benth. (Euphorbiaceae), and Vetiveria nigritana Stapf. (Asteraceae) are traditionally used in Togolese folk medicine to treat several diseases including microbial infections. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and hemolytic properties of the crude extracts of the above-mentioned plants. Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial and the antioxidant activities were assayed using the NCCLS microdilution method and the DPPH free radical scavenging, respectively. Human A+ red blood cells were used to perform the hemolytic assay. Phenolics were further quantified in the extracts using spectrophotometric methods. Results: Minimal inhibitory concentrations in the range of 230-1800 μg/ml were recorded in the NCCLS broth microdilution for both bacterial and fungal strains with methanol extracts. The DPPH radical scavenging assay yielded interesting antioxidant activities of the extracts of P. africana and T. macroptera (IC 50 values of 0.003 {\textpm} 0.00 μg/ml and 0.05 {\textpm} 0.03 μg/ml, respectively). These activities were positively correlated with the total phenolic contents and negatively correlated with the proanthocyanidin content of the extracts. The hemolytic assay revealed that great hemolysis occurred with the methanol extracts of T. macroptera, S. longepedunculata, and B. ferruginea. Conclusion: These results support in part the use of the selected plants in the treatment of microbial infections. In addition, the plant showed an interesting antioxidant activity that could be useful in the management of oxidative stress.

}, keywords = {Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Hemolytic, Phenolics}, doi = { 10.4103/0974-8490.94737}, author = {Simplice D Karou and Tchadjobo Tchacondo and Micheline Agassounon Djikpo Tchibozo and Kokou Anani and Lassina Ouattara and Jacques Simpore and Comlan de Souza} }