Phytochemical study of medicinal plants used against buruli ulcer by Ntandu people in Kongo Central, DRC

Abstract

In Africa, ancestors are known to possess phytotherapy knowledge. This knowledge is transmitted from one generation to another through oral tradition. Based on experience, this knowledge is unaware of the chemical composition of the plants used. The study is to justify its scientific basis in the treatment of Buruli ulcer. Ethnobotanical data are collected from older men, traditional healers, herbalists, practitioners and patients who have suffered from Buruli ulcer. The species mentioned in the recipes were screened for the detection of major chemical groups. Aloe tenuifolia, Annona senegalensis, Brillantaisia owariensis, Vernonia amygdalina and Strychnos icaja are involved in the management of Buruli ulcer. Chemical screening has revealed the presence, to varying degrees, of the following secondary metabolites: tannins, alkaloids, saponosides, free quinones, anthocyanins, bound quinones, terpenoids, polyphenols, steroids, coumarins and reducing sugars. The presence of these metabolites provides a scientific basis for Ntandu endogenous knowledge. These findings give credence to the ethnomedical use of in the treatment of Buruli ulcer in Ntandu people.