Medicinal Plants Constituting Antimalarial Herbal Preparations in the Ghanaian Market

Aims: Malaria is hyper-endemic in many parts of Ghana, and a greater percentage of the population use herbal preparations to treat the disease. This study was conducted to find out the medicinal plants that constitute the components of antimalarial herbal mixtures sold in Ghana.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Accra (the capital city of Ghana) and Kumasi (the second largest city in the country) by researchers from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kumasi Polytechnic. It was carried out between May and July, 2012.
Methodology: The study was based on direct observation and recording of information on available antimalarial herbal products in some Pharmacies and Herbal Medicine Shops in the two cities.
Results: The study identified forty one different herbal mixtures used as antimalarials. Fifty seven plants belonging to 28 plant families, and one animal product (honey), were found to be the components of the herbal mixtures. Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Azadirachta indica, respectively found in 29.3% and 22.0% of the preparations, were the commonest plant components.
Most of the plant components found are reported in traditional medicine or pharmacological studies to treat malaria. These antimalarial claims are indicative of indigenous knowledge in the management of malaria.
Conclusion: With the necessary product standardisation and safety investigations, some of the antimalarial herbal products may offer alternative treatment of malaria in Ghana.