Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (original) (raw)

For thousands of years, humans have relied on nature for their essential needs. These needs include food, clothing, shelter, means of transportation, flavours, fragrances and medicines. For thousands of years, plants have formed the basis of sophisticated traditional medicine. One of the earliest records of the use of plants dates back to 2600BC, in Mesopotamia. They used oils of Cedrus species (cedar) and Cupressus sempervirens (cypress), Commiphora species (myrrh) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) to cure illnesses ranging from coughs to colds to parasitic infections and inflammations, and all of these plants still function in present times in the treatment of the aforementioned ailments. 1 The African continent is made up of more than fifty (50) countries, eight hundred (800) languages and three thousand (3000) dialects, great biodiversity of tropical forests, savannahs and veldts, therefore, it is hardly surprising that it is a veritable treasure house of genetic materials, including medicinal plants. The unique environments of sub-Saharan Africa has presented native cultures with an immense variety of flora and as a consequence, a wealth of traditional knowledge about the use of plants for medicinal purposes. 2 According to the World Health Organization, 3 as many as 80% of the world's population depend on traditional medicine to meet their