Medicinal uses and ethnopharmacological properties of Terminalia brachystemma Welw. ex Hiern: A narrative review.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/cw8x4g12Keywords:
Bush willow family, Combretaceae, Kalahari cluster-leaf, materia medica, Terminalia brachystemmaAbstract
Terminalia brachystemma Welw. ex Hiern, which belongs to the Combretaceae family, is a slender, Semi-deciduous shrub or small tree. It has been recorded in bushveld and swamp forests of east and southern Africa in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The study is aimed at summarizing medicinal uses and chemical and biological properties of T. brachystemma based on information in the literature. The ethnobotany and ethnopharmacological review of T. brachystemma was done through a literature review of several online databases such as ScienceDirect®, PubMed®, Web of Science, SpringerLink®, Google Scholar, Scopus® and SciELO, as well as pre-electronic literature sources such as book chapters, books and other scientific publications obtained from the university library. The following keywords were applied during the literature search: “biological activities”, “ethnobotany”, “medicinal uses”, “pharmacological properties”, “phytochemistry” and “traditional uses of T. brachystemma”. The research findings highlight the use of the bark, leaves and roots of T. brachystemma as an antidote for nephralgia, and traditional medicine for allergies, toothache, bilious vomiting, sexually transmitted infections, respiratory infections, bilharzia and gastrointestinal disorders. Chemical compounds identified from T. brachystemma include betulinic acid, catechin, chebulanin, isoorientin, isovitexin, orientin, punicalagin, and ursolic acid. The phytochemical compounds isolated from T. brachystemma and its crude extracts exhibited anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities. Future research on T. brachystemma should focus on detailed phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological evaluations, as well as in vivo and clinical studies.
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