Antimalarial activity of 20 crude extracts from nine African medicinal plants used in Kinshasa, Congo

Twenty extracts including ten EtOH and ten CH2Cl2 from different parts of n ine African medicinal plants used in Congolese traditional medicine for the treatment of malaria, were submitted to a pharmacological test in order to evaluate their effect on P. falciparum growth in vitro. Of these plant spe cies, 14 (70%) extracts including EtOH and CH2Cl2 from Cassia occidentalis leaves, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta root bark, Euphorbia hirta whole plant, G arcinia kola stem bark and seeds, Morinda lucida leaves and Phyllanthus nir uri whole plant produced more than 60% inhibition of the parasite growth in vitro at a test concentration of 6 mu g/ml. Extracts from E. hirta, C. san guinolenta and M. morindoides showed a significant chemosuppression of para sitaemia in mice infected with P. berghei berghei at orally given doses of 100-400 mg/kg per day. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights re served.