LANNEA ACIDA: A REVIEW OF ITS MEDICINAL USES AND PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Abstract

Lannea acida is widely used as herbal medicine in West Africa. The present study critically reviewed the medicinal uses and phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of L. acida. The keywords including L. acida, its synonyms, English common names, medicinal uses, and phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of the species were searched using electronic databases such as ISI web of knowledge, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, OATD, Scopus, OpenThesis, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The search for pre-electronic literature such as conference papers, scientific articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and theses was carried out at the university library. Literature studies revealed that L. acida is mainly used for injuries, inflammation and pain, gastrointestinal problems, fever and malaria, gynecological and pregnancy disorders, ethnoveterinary medicine, hemorrhoids, skin diseases, and infections. Phytochemical compounds identified from the species include alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids. Pharmacological studies revealed that L. acida extracts have anthelmintic, antibacterial, antidiarrheal, anti-inflammatory, antimycobacterial, antioxidant, estrogenic, fertility, hyaluronidase, phospholipase A2, proteolytic, and vibriocidal activities. Given the importance of L. acida as herbal medicine, there is a need for detailed studies aimed at establishing the efficacy, clinical relevance, and safety of the plant extracts and compounds.