1. DEVELOPMENT OF ETHNOMEDICINES FOR MANAGEMENT OF MALARIA IN MSAMBWENI DISTRICT, KENYA
DR Joseph M Nguta,,
PhD Student,
RISE-AFNNET FELLOW
UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

2. MALARIA
Malaria is the most difficult problem afflicting people in the tropics
In Africa, more than 100 million people are infected annually, with a mortality of 1-1.5m a year
Currently the drug of choice is artemesinin and its derivatives
High rate of resistance development to drugs and chemicals by the parasite and the vector respectively makes the necessity for research in new antimalarial drugs a continuous one

3. Introduction A source of these principles is the rich tropical flora.
Medicinal plants traditionally used to treat malaria by the Msambweni community of South Coast, Kenya are reported in this study.
27 species in 24 genera distributed in 20 families are documented.
13 species reported for the first time for the treatment of malaria are discussed.

4. Methods
Msambweni district study site

5. Objectives of the study
To establish an inventory of plants and formulations used to manage Malaria in Msambweni community
To determine the efficacy and toxicity of the priority plants and formulation to the community.
To isolate and characterize the bioactive compounds in the efficacious plants extracts
Develop appropriate formulations based on identified bioactive compounds and indigenous knowledge
To explore feasibility for commercialization

6. The study How do they identify STI?
Which plants do the Samburu use to manage STI?
Which is the most preferred plant?
Which part of plant do they use?
How is it formulated
Which is the route of administration?
Are the plants readily available?
Are the plants used safe?

7. General overview
Azadirachta indica form part of the vegetation

8. General overview
Stem bark from Azadirachta indica is used for decoctions

9. Author conducting an interview in Mwaroni village, Diani

10. General overview
Palm trees form part of the vegetation

11. General overview
Author conducting an interview

12. Background Why investigate/document antimalarial phytotherapy remedies
Provides a platform:
For search for new antimalarials from natural products using ethnobotanical approach
Upto 80% of rural pop. In Africa depend on HMs.
For evaluation of the efficacy and safety of the plants as antimalarial remedies
Majority of antimalarial drugs have been derived from medicinal plants (Quinine, Artemisinin)

13. Background (Cont.)
Provides a cost effective approach for the dev. Of new drugs
Knowledge is transferred orally-hence danger of losing this precious cultural heritage
Rapid loss of natural habitats, traditional community life, cultural diversity and knowledge of medicinal plants calls for estb. of a large no. of ethnobotanical inventories
Ethnobotanical information provides data for further pharmacological, toxicological and phytochemical studies
Serves as an indication of species that may need further ecological assessment on their regeneration status
Provides an avenue for the validation of all claims of therapeutic efficacy and safety: This may yield significant benefit

14. Background (Cont.)
therapeutic efficacy and safety: This may yield significant benefit for primary healthcare, and also help create herbal medicine market-with possibilities of adding value to medicinal plants
Helps in the preservation of traditional knowledge, since its disappearance will make exploitation of plants difficult if not impossible
Indigenous comm. Thr. A period of long exp. With HMs are likely to have retained those that are effective and tolerably safe while discarding preparations with low efficacy or acute toxicity.
For identification and propagation of antimalarial herbs

15. Background (Cont.) Challenges
Like A. annua which is the only way to take adequate antimalarial medication to the villages and even to urban areas.
Challenges
Drug discovery from nature is a time and resource consuming activity.
Getting information on medicinal plants and obtaining plant materials for research is at times met with opposition by the owners of IK, as it is regarded to be a top secret.
Collection and taxonomic study of the biological material takes months of intensive efferts

16. Background (Cont.)
Some vulnerable and threatened plants are continuously being depleted to extinction, losing some of them forever from the face of the globe.
Opportunities
EA region is taxonomically considered to be a single floral block , with high diversity of plant species, consisting of 21, 650 species, with 5000 from Kenya, 6000 from Uganda and 10,650 from Tanzania.
This floral diversity and the use of many plant species in traditional medicine has inspired enormous research efforts to prospects for lead natural products for drug dev. Involving both local and foreign research groups.

17. Background (Cont.)
Chalcones, Flavanones and other flavonoids with varied antiplasmodial activity has been isolated from Kenyan flora.

18. Methods (Cont.) Collection of ethnomedical information
Fieldwork carried out between May and August, 2009.
Local people facilitated access to herbalists (15 men and 5 women; Mean age: 60 yrs)
Semistructured questionnaires and interviews-used for information on antimalarial plants
A taxonomist conversant with the area flora was part of the collection team
Antimalarial plants as identified by the herbalists were collected and identified by a taxonomist and voucher specimens deposited at the LARMAT Herbarium, University of Nairobi.

19. Methods (Cont.)
Information gathered included plant species, parts used, plant habit, method of preparation, dosage and vernacular names.

20. Results Plants commonly used for the treatment of malaria Meliaceae
Azadirachta indica (L) Burm. (JN 412; 422)  
Rutaceae
Zanthoxylum chalybeum (Eng) Engl. (JN 433)
Liliaceae
Aloe deserti Berger. (JN 424)
Simaroubaceae
Harrisonia abyssinica Oliv. (JN 438)
Euphorbiaceae
Ricinus communis L.(JN 431)
Verbenaceae
Lantana camara L.( JN 429)

21. Results Plants commonly used for the treatment of malaria Compositae
Launea cornuta (Oliv and Hiern) C. Jeffrey (JN 410)
Solanaceae
Solanum incanum L. (JN 46; 417)
Labiatae
Ocimum bacilicum L. (JN 428)
Bombacaceae
Adansonia digitata Linn. (JN 414; 415)
Papilionaceae
Securidaca longepedunculata Fres. (JN 423)
Rutaceae
Teclea simplicifolia (Eng) Verdoon (JN 413)

22. Results Plants commonly used for the treatment of malaria
Flacourtiaceae
Flacourtia indica (Burm.f) Merr. (JN 436)
Liliaceae
Aloe vera (L) Webb.(JN 421)
Cucurbitaceae
Gerranthus lobatus (Cogn.) Jeffrey (JN 405;406; 407)
Labiatae
Plectranthus barbatus Andr. (JN 418; 419; 420)
Moraceae
Ficus bussei Warp ex Mildbr and Burret.(JN 403; 404)
Tiliaceae
Grewia hexaminta Burret. ( JN 401; 402)

23. Results Plants commonly used for the treatment of malaria Rubiaceae
Canthium glaucum Hiern. (JN 426)
Caesalpiniaceae
Cassia occidentalis L. (JN 425)
Amaranthaceae
Amaranthus hybridus L. (JN 430)
Combretaceae
Combretum padoides Engl and Diels. (JN 434)
Compositae
Senecio syringitolius O. Hoffman. (JN 432)
Rutaceae
Fagaropsis angolensis (Engl) Del. (JN 437)

24. Results Plants commonly used for the treatment of malaria Labiatae
Ocimum suave Willd (JN 408; 409)
Liliaceae
Aloe macrosiphon Bak. (JN 435)
Apocynaceae
Laudolphia buchananii (Hall.f) Stapf. (JN 427)

25. Results Habit of the species used in treatment of malaria

26. Results Part of the species used in treatment of malaria.

27. Results Frequency of the species in the families from Msambweni district

28. Discussion
Study objective was to document plants used traditionally against malaria by the Msambweni community.
27 species in 24 genera and 20 families were documented
13 species are documented for the first time for the treatment of malaria
Some species documented have been widely used as antimalarials in other continents e.g Ricinus communis, Lantana camara
Roots were the second most commonly used plant part-and this calls for conservation and good harvesting practices
Antimalarial activity have been reported in some species documented e.g. Zanthoxylum chalybeum, Ricinus communis

29. Discussion Harrisonia abyssinica, Azadirachta indica.
Phytoconstituents have also been isolated from plant species documented in the study e.g. Quinoline alkaloids isolated from Zanthoxylum chalybeum, gedunin and nimbinin isolated from Azadirachta indica
Literature reviewed indicated that few toxicological studies have been done on the plant species documented in this study
This calls for validation of all the safety claims by undertaking detailed toxicological studies.

30. Conclusion
Many plant species reported have been investigated for their active principles and pharmacological activities, the latter being in agreement with the ethnomedical uses reported in this study.
Few toxicological studies have been conducted
13 plant species are documented for the first time for the treatment of malaria
Further documentation of TK on the use of HMs is recommended
Acceptability of antimalarial plants as effective remedies is quite high among the Msambweni community.
Msambweni community owns the TK presented in this study. Any benefit from this work must be shared with them.

31. Acknowledgements
The Carnegie Corporation of New York for financially supporting this work through Regional Initiative in Science and Technology (Carnegie-AIS-RISE) Natural Product Network
The community of Msambweni district, for sharing their knowledge and time with the author
The Natural Product Research Team for their positive criticism and constant encouragement

32. KAYA DIANI FOREST
KAYA DIANI FOREST

33. Voucher specimen
Author pressing voucher specimens

34. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING/AHSANTENI SANA