PLANT SCIENCE TODAY, 2021 Vol 8(3): 517–527 HORIZON https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2021.8.3.1126 e-Publishing Group ISSN 2348-1900 (online) REVIEW ARTICLE Use of herbal formulations for the treatment of circumcision wounds in Eastern and Southern Africa Alfred Maroyi Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Sovenga 0727, South Africa *Email:
[email protected] ARTICLE HISTORY ABSTRACT Received: 07 February 2021 Medicinal plants used to treat and manage circumcision wounds have remained an integral part of Accepted: 08 April 2021 traditional practice in Eastern and Southern Africa. This study reviews the traditional usage of Available online: 01 July 2021 medicinal plants to treat and manage circumcision wounds in Eastern and Southern Africa. Drawing on data from Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania, information was collected from different sources including books, theses and electronic scientific search engines such as Scopus, Science Direct, KEYWORDS PubMed, SciFinder and Google Scholar. A literature search was also undertaken focusing on medicinal Eastern and Southern Africa Ethnopharmacology plants used against circumcision wounds that demonstrated antibacterial and anti-inflammatory Indigenous knowledge activities in in vitro studies. Twenty-eight medicinal plants from 15 families are recorded as traditional Medicinal plants therapies for circumcision wounds following an extensive literature search. These species used to treat Traditional male circumcision and manage circumcision wounds, and as dressing after circumcision to prevent serious inflammation are mainly (64.3%) members of Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae and Fabaceae families. Three quarters (75.0%) of these species including Acalypha ornata, Achyranthes aspera, Asparagus africanus, Boophone disticha, Brunsvigia grandiflora, Burkea africana, Colophospermum mopane, Datura stramonium, Dichrostachys cinerea, Helichrysum appendiculatum, H.