‘Mango, pawpaw leaves have similar potency to malaria drug’

In what is best described as an attestation to the efficacy of herbs in the prevention of malaria in the country, experts have found the water extracts of pawpaw and mango leaves showed potencies against
malaria parasites and that they compare
favourably with an established long acting
orthodox anti-malarial drug, sulphadoxine/
pyrimethamine. One of the common drugs
in this group is Fanisidar (SP).
Carica papaya or pawpaw has been studied for its many medicinal uses. Its fruit rind is reportedly used in India by traditional healers for the treatment of ‘recurrent fever’. On the other hand, the medicinal uses of the fruits, stem, bark, leaf and root of Magnifera indica (mango) have beenrecognised for ages.
In Nigerian folk medicine, the leaves of both
pawpaw and mango have been reported to
be among the plants’ parts made into a
decoction and used by herbalists in South-
Eastern Nigeria for the treatment of patients
with complaints of malaria symptoms.
Malaria has continued to cause deaths and ill
health on a large scale, especially among the
highly vulnerable groups, young children
and pregnant women in tropical countries.
In Africa, it causes more than one million
deaths every year, and in Nigeria, the
infection rate has been described as
holoendemic, with more than 75 per cent of
children aged between five and nine years
infected.
Anti-malarial drugs have been used in
various ways to prevent or treat malaria
infection in the resident populations of
malaria-endemic areas for nearly 100 years.
However, the alarming rate at which the
parasite, particularly Plasmodium
falciparium, has continued to develop
resistance to currently used anti-malarial
drugs, makes it imperative to search for
newer, more effective therapeutic agents.
This need has further been highlighted by
the current recommendation of artemisinin
(a plant product) based combination
therapies by World Health Organisation
(WHO). Artemisinin, obtained from Artemisia
annua, and quinine, obtained from Cinchona
species, are proven instances of
compounds derived from plants with anti-
malarial potential.
In a study that compared the
chemotherapeutic effects of a long acting
anti-malarial drug, Sulphadoxine
pyrimethamine (SP) and crude aqueous leaf
extracts of Carica papaya (CP) and
Magnifera indica (MI), using mice infected
with the rodent malaria parasite,
Plasmodium berghei, researchers found all
the three ‘drugs’ reduced significantly the
malaria parasite count in the test animals
after the sixth day of treatment. Although,
SP showed the highest anti-malarial potency
(84.9 per cent), those of the extracts of CP
(64.2 per cent) and C. papaya-M. indica (CP-
MI) combination (68.1 per cent) compared
flavourably.
In addition, they found that the anti-malarial
potency of CP-MI combination on the sixth
day was higher than those of either CP or
MI, suggesting a possible synergistic
activity between the active components
present in both plants.
The 2009 study entitled “Comparative Anti-
malarial Effects of Sulphadoxine/
Pyrimethamine and Aqueous Leaf Extracts
of Carica papaya, Magnifera indica in
Mice”was carried out by F. O. Uhegbu, from
the Abia State University, Uturu, Abia State;
and C. U. Igwe and A. O. Ojiako, Federal
University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State
as well as G. O. Oze, from the Department of
Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine,
Imo State University, Owerri, Imo State.
The researchers wrote in the study
published in the Nigerian Journal of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: “This is
consistent with reported anti-malarial
activity of these plants. CP extract, however,
showed a higher potency than MI extract
since it reduced parasitaemia count by 43.2
per cent and 64.2 per cent as against MI’s
32.3 per cent and 49.0 per cent, on the third
and sixth days after drug administration
respectively”.
“Interestingly, its potency was higher (37.2
per cent) than that of MI (32.3 per cent), but
lower than that of CP (43.3 per cent) on the
third day. Although, the CP-MI showed a
lower potency than CP on the third day, its
potency shot higher (68.1 per cent) than
either CP (64.2 per cent) or MI (49.0 per
cent) on the sixth day.
“This may possibly explain the reported use
of both leaves together, among other
plants, in a decoction by herbalists for
malaria treatment in Nigeria.
However, Nigerian researchers have also
developed herbal cures for malaria that can
take care of resistant strains. They have
produced potent anti-malaria cocktails from
local plants.
A typical cocktail developed by a plant
taxonomist at the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka (UNN) and Ebonyi State University,
Professor Jonathan Okafor, consists of
Morinda lucida, Nauclea latifolia,
Cymbopogon citratus, pawpaw leaves,
Moringa oleifera, Mangifera indica, bitter
kola, and Psidium guajava.
To prepare the cocktail entails collecting the
leaves of Morinda lucida (brimstone tree,
oruwo in Yoruba and eze-ogu in Igbo). It is
commonly called local cinchona and Eze
ogwu in Igbo. It should consist half of the
whole concoction. This is mixed with leaves
of Nauclea latifolia (ubulu inu in Igbo,
egbesi in Yoruba and marga in Hausa),
Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass), male
Carica papaya leaves (pawpaw), Moringa
oleifera ( drumstick tree or ewe ile in
Yoruba, zogalla-gandi in Hausa and ikwe
beke in Ibo) leaves because of its high
nutritional content and immune boosting
properties, Mango leaves and bark, which
boosts red blood cells, bitter cola and guava
in equal quantities.
In addition, Director of Pax Herbal Clinics,
Rev. Fr. Anselm Adodo, in his book “Nature
Power For Malaria” suggested different
recipes for the treatment of malaria. To
prepare a remedy for malaria, he wrote,
“Squeeze four yellow pawpaw leaves and
30 leaves of bitter-leaf plant all together in
eight bottles of water and a glassful taken
thrice daily for 20 days.
“The second formula is squeeze the leaves
of Goat weed (Ageratum conyzoides) in
water. It is called akwukwo nea, osi n’aka or
ahenhea in Igbo, imi-eshu in Yoruba, eb-
ghedore in Edo, ikpamaku in Urhobo and
otiti in Efik. Make it as concentrated as
possible. Take one glassful thrice daily for
five days. This preparation is excellent for
intestinal ulcer.
“Thirdly, bring an equal amount of lemon
grass leaves, orange peels and leaves of
Brimstone tree (Morinda lucida); boil in a
medium-sized pot for 40 minutes. Take one
glass thrice daily for seven days.
Researchers have also evaluated the anti-
malarial activity of Morinda lucida leaf
extract. According to the study published in
Indian Journal of Pharmacology, “The
petroleum ether extract, chloroquine and
fractions A and C at the employed doses
inhibited the P. falciparum growth.
Petroleum ether extract and some fractions
of M. lucida inhibited the maturation of drug
sensitive strain of P. falciparum in-vitro. ”
Indeed, local researchers have made huge
progress on herbal cures for malaria. One of
such herbs used to treat malaria is Enatia
chlorantha, a herb that among the Yoruba-
speaking community is called Iyani or
Awopa while in Benin, it is called
Evenbavbogo.
Equally, researchers at the Pharmacology
and Toxicology Department, Faculty of
Pharmacy, University of Uyo, have shown
that the fruit extract of Tetrapleura
tetraptera possesses significant anti-
malarial activities.
Tetrapleura tetraptera referred to as dawo
in Hausa, uyayak in Ibibio, osakirisa
(Owerri) in Igbo and aridan in Yoruba has
been shown to have anti-plasmodial (active
against malaria parasite) properties which
may have contributed to the immune status
of the Nigerians against malaria in addition
to its nutritive value.