Medicinal plants from West Africa for the management of respiratory diseases that may appear during the Covid-19

Abstract

As part of contributing to the symptomatic management of respiratory conditions that may manifest during Covid-19, the current study was undertaken to identify African medicinal plants active against these manifestations. A bibliographic study was carried out to identify the plant species used in the management of respiratory diseases in West Africa. The frequency of citation and a convergence score for the use of the species were also calculated. A total of 318 recipes from 145 plant species were inventoried through various publications. Guiera senegalensis, Sterculia setigera, Bridelia ferruginea, Euphorbia hirta and Terminalia avicennioides were the most cited plants with the best usage convergence scores. Leaves from these species were most cited while the cough was more indicated. The results of this study could serve as a database of plant species used in the management of respiratory tract diseases in West Africa.