Medicinal Plants Used for Malaria Treatment and Management in Kenya: A Systematic Review

Daniel Wekesa; Nathan Shaviya

doi:10.51867/scimundi.5.1.9

Authors

Daniel Wekesa Kitale County Referral Hospital, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3808-8629
Nathan Shaviya Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7347-3130

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/scimundi.5.1.9

Keywords:

Antimalarial, Ethnobotany, Kenya, Malaria, Medicinal Plants, Plasmodium falciparum

Abstract

Malaria remains a leading public health concern in Kenya, with high morbidity and mortality rates despite the availability of conventional interventions such as insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), and artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). The increasing resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs necessitates the exploration of alternative treatment options. Traditional medicinal plants have been widely used in Kenya for malaria treatment, particularly in rural and resource-limited settings. This systematic review synthesizes available ethnobotanical and pharmacological evidence on medicinal plants used for malaria management in Kenya. A total of 85 plant species from 45 botanical families were identified, with Artemisia annua, Ajuga remota, Azadirachta indica, Warburgia ugandensis and Zanthoxylum chalybeum being the most frequently cited. Pharmacological studies demonstrated that Artemisia annua had a parasite reduction rate of 85%, while Ajuga remota and Warburgia ugandensis showed moderate efficacy, reducing parasitemia by 68% and 72%, respectively. While these plants exhibited minimal adverse effects, further toxicological studies and clinical trials are necessary to confirm their safety and efficacy. Standardization of plant preparations, conservation of medicinal plant resources and integration of ethnobotanical knowledge into national malaria control programs are recommended to enhance their potential in malaria management.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abubakar, I. B., Kankara, S. S., Malami, I., Danjuma, J. B., Muhammad, Y. Z., Yahaya, H., Singh, D., Usman, U. J., Ukwuani-Kwaja, A. N., Muhammad, A., Ahmed, S. J., Folami, S. O., Falana, M. B., & Nurudeen, Q. O. (2022). Traditional medicinal plants used for treating emerging and re-emerging viral diseases in northern Nigeria. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 49(1), 94-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2021.102094

Angupale, J. R., Tusiimire, J., & Ngwuluka, N. C. (2023). A review of efficacy and safety of Ugandan anti-malarial plants with application of RITAM score. Malaria Journal, 22(2), 97-110. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04486-6

Bwogo, P., Nyanchongi, B., Masai, R., & Masai, R. (2018). Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used for treatment of malaria by Kipsigis people in Kericho County, Kenya. IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences, 13(1), 24-30. https://doi.org/10.9790/3008-1304062430

Irungu, B., Okari, E., Nyangi, M., Njeru, S., & Koech, L. (2023). Potential of medicinal plants as antimalarial agents: A review of work done at Kenya Medical Research Institute. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 14, 1268924. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1268924

James, P. B., Wardle, J., Steel, A., & Adams, J. (2018). Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine use in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. BMJ Global Health, 3(5), 12-21. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000895

Jeruto, P., Nyangacha, R., & Mutai, C. (2015). In vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial activity of extracts of selected Kenyan medicinal plants. African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 9(16), 500-505. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJPP2013.3886

Kipkore, W., Wanjohi, B., Rono, H., & Kigen, G. (2014). A study of the medicinal plants used by the Marakwet Community in Kenya. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 10(1), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-10-24

Koch, M., Wright, K. E., Otto, O., Herbig, M., Salinas, N. D., Tolia, N. H., Satchwell, T. J., Guck, J., Brooks, N. J., & Baum, J. (2017). Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte-binding antigen 175 triggers a biophysical change in the red blood cell that facilitates invasion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(16), 4225-4230. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1620843114

Maiyo, Z. C., Njeru, S. N., Toroitich, F. J., Indieka, S. A., & Obonyo, M. A. (2024). Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by the people of Mosop, Nandi County in Kenya. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 14(3), 23-34. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1328903

Mbuni, Y. M., Wang, S., Mwangi, B. N., Mbari, N. J., Musili, P. M., Walter, N. O., Hu, G., Zhou, Y., & Wang, Q. (2020). Medicinal plants and their traditional uses in local communities around Cherangani Hills, Western Kenya. Plants, 9(3), 27-39. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9030331

Mekonnen, A. B., Mohammed, A. S., & Tefera, A. K. (2022). Ethnobotanical study of traditional medicinal plants used to treat human and animal diseases in Sedie Muja District, South Gondar, Ethiopia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2022, 7328613. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7328613

Mukungu, N., Abuga, K., Okalebo, F., Ingwela, R., & Mwangi, J. (2016). Medicinal plants used for management of malaria among the Luhya community of Kakamega East sub-County, Kenya. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 194(1), 98-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2016.08.050

Muregi, F. W., Chhabra, S. C., Njagi, E. N. M., Lang'at-Thoruwa, C. C., Njue, W. M., Orago, A. S. S., Omar, S. A., & Ndiege, I. O. (2003). In vitro antiplasmodial activity of some plants used in Kisii, Kenya against malaria and their chloroquine potentiation effects. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 84(2), 235-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-8741(02)00327-6

Muthaura, C., Keriko, J., Derese, S., Yenesew, A., & Rukunga, G. M. (2011). Investigation of some medicinal plants traditionally used for treatment of malaria in Kenya as potential sources of antimalarial drugs. Experimental Parasitology, 127(2), 609-626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exppara.2010.11.004

Nankaya, J., Gichuki, N., Lukhoba, C., & Balslev, H. (2019). Medicinal Plants of the Maasai of Kenya: A Review. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9010044

Nguta, J. M., Mbaria, J. M., Gakuya, D. W., Gathumbi, P. K., & Kiama, S. G. (2010). Traditional antimalarial phytotherapy remedies used by the South Coast community, Kenya. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 131(2), 256-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2010.06.031

Nigussie, G., & Wale, M. (2022). Medicinal plants used in traditional treatment of malaria in Ethiopia: A review of ethnomedicine, anti-malarial and toxicity studies. Malaria Journal, 21(3), 262-265. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04264-w

Njoroge, G. N., & Bussmann, R. W. (2006). Diversity and utilization of antimalarial ethnophytotherapeutic remedies among the Kikuyus (Central Kenya). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2(1), 8-20. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-2-8

Nyirenda, J., & Chipuwa, M. (2024). An ethnobotanical study of herbs and medicinal plants used in Western, Copperbelt, Central and Northern provinces of Zambia. Phytomedicine Plus, 4(1), 514-526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phyplu.2023.100514

Okello, S. V., Nyunja, R. O., Netondo, G. W., & Onyango, J. C. (2009). Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Sabaots of Mt. Elgon Kenya. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicines, 7(1), 1-10.

https://doi.org/10.4314/ajtcam.v7i1.57223

Omara, T. (2020). Antimalarial plants used across Kenyan communities. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2020(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/4538602

Owuor, B. O., Ochanda, J. O., Kokwaro, J. O., Cheruiyot, A. C., Yeda, R. A., Okudo, C. A., & Akala, H. M. (2012). In vitro antiplasmodial activity of selected Luo and Kuria medicinal plants. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 144(3), 779-781. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2012.09.045

Rosenstock, I. M. (1974). Historical origins of the Health Belief Model. Health Education Monographs, 2(4), 328-335. https://doi.org/10.1177/109019817400200403

Rotich, C., Makwali, J., Ngeiywa, M., & Bowen, A. (2022). Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used to treat malarial infections by the Marakwet community in Kenya. Africa Environmental Review Journal, 5(2), 271-286. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2200/aerj.v5i2.269

Shaviya, N., Mang'era, C., W. F., M., Francis, K., & Ongus, J. (2012). Expansion of the wild pfcrt 76K allele in Plasmodium falciparum populations in Mbita, Kenya. African Journal of Health Sciences, 22(1), 176-187.

Tugume, P., Kakudidi, E. K., Buyinza, M., Namaalwa, J., Kamatenesi, M., Mucunguzi, P., & Kalema, J. (2016). Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plant species used by communities around Mabira Central Forest Reserve, Uganda. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 12(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0077-4

Wekesa, D., Mambo, F., Barasa, E., Soita, K., Gosar, A. A., Kitungulu, N., & Shaviya, N. (2023). Antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activities of selected medicinal plants in Western Kenya. The Journal of Phytopharmacology, 12(4), 218-229. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31254/phyto.2023.12402

WHO. (2022). WHO guidelines for malaria treatment. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/guidelines-for-malaria