INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 10, ISSUE 07, JULY 2021 ISSN 2277-8616 Evaluation Of Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry And Pharmacological Properties Of Strychnos Henningsii Gilg (Strychnaceae) Alfred Maroyi Abstract: Strychnos henningsii is a small to medium-sized tree widely used as traditional medicine in tropical Africa. The current study critically reviewed the medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of S. henningsii. A systematic review of the literature was carried out to document the medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of S. henningsii. The results of the current study are based on literature survey conducted using various search engines such as Web of Science, Elsevier, Pubmed, Google scholar, Springer, Science Direct, Scopus, Taylor and Francis, and pre-electronic sources such as books, book chapters, scientific journals, theses and other grey literature obtained from the University library. This study revealed that S. henningsii is used as an anthelmintic, appetizer, blood cleanser, purgative, tonic and ethnoveterinary medicine, and traditional medicine for abdominal pain, bilharzia, colic, diabetes mellitus, gastro-intestinal problems, headache, malaria, menstrual problems, pain, respiratory diseases, rheumatism, snake bite and syphilis. Pharmacological research identified alkaloids, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, chalcones, flavonoids, phenolics, proanthocyanidins, saponins, steroids, tannins and triterpenes. The crude extracts of S. henningsii and phytochemical compounds exhibited analgesic, antibacterial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, antiprotozoal, antispasmodic and cytotoxicity activities. Strychnos henningsii crude extracts and phytochemical compounds isolated from the species should be subjected to detailed phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological evaluations aimed at correlating its medicinal uses with its phytochemistry and pharmacological properties. Keywords: Ethnopharmacology, herbal medicine, indigenous pharmacopeia, Loganiaceae, Strychnos henningsii, Strychnaceae —————————— —————————— 1 INTRODUCTION Strychnos henningsii Gilg is an evergreen to semi-deciduous The fruits of S. henningsii are small, slightly ovoid, glabrous, small to medium-sized tree belonging to the Strychnaceae glossy, exocarp and fruit pulp firm. Strychnos henningsii has family but included in the family Loganiaceae in earlier been recorded in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo literature. The genus name Strychnos L. is derived from the (DRC), Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Greek word for deadly in reference to the alkaloid strychnine Mozambique, South Africa, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, isolated from several Strychnos species which is known to be Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe [6-11]. Strychnos poisonous [1,2]. The species name henningsii is in honour of henningsii has been recorded in low-lying dry areas, riverine Prof Paul Christoph Hennings (1841-1908), a German botanist thickets, riverine fringes, scrub on termitaria, coastal and mycologist who was based at the Royal Botanic Gardens evergreen forest, mist-belt evergreen forest and dry forests at at Berlin-Dahlem [3]. The synonyms of S. henningsii include S. altitudes ranging from sea level to 2300 m above sea level albersii Gilg & Busse, S. barbata Chiov., S. elliottii Gilg & [7,12,13]. Busse, S. ligustroides Gossw. & Mendonca, S. myrcioides S. Strychnos henningsii is an important medicinal plant species in Moore, S. pauciflora Gilg, S. procera Gilg & Busse, S. tropical Africa, listed in two monographs, ―medicinal plants of reticulata Burtt Davy & Honoré, S. sennensis Baker and S. South Africa‖ [14] and ―plant resources of tropical Africa 11: utilis Sim [4,5]. The English common names of S. henningsii medicinal plants 1‖ [15]. The bark, roots and root bark of S. include ―Natal teak‖, ―coffee hard pear‖, ―Panda‘s walking henningsii are sold as sources of traditional medicine in stick‖ and ―red bitterberry‖ [2,3]. The crown of S. henningsii is informal herbal medicine markets in Kenya [16,17], wide-spreading, particularly dense, branch terminals pendent, Mozambique [18] and South Africa [19-21]. In Kenya, the bark, stems long, upright, bare, fairly smooth, pale buff-grey but fruits, leaves, roots and stems of S. henningsii are added to brown where the bark peels off in irregular sections. The soup as a flavouring agent [22,23]. Strychnos species contain leaves of S. henningsii are simple, borne in decussate pairs, strychnine and numerous other structurally related alkaloid elliptic to broadly ovate in shape, thinly leathery to brittle, compounds which are known to be poisonous and used as slightly conduplicate upwards, glabrous, dark green, rodent, arrow and ordeal poisons [24-26]. Research by Wink particularly glossy, marginally entire with three large veins and Van Wyk [27], showed that the alkaloid strychnine is originating in the leaf base. The flowers of S. henningsii are extremely hazardous, as it is a cell and neurotoxin, mind simple, yellow to orange in colour and borne in short cymes in altering, inhibiting glycine receptor (Cl--channel), the leaf axils in dense branched heads. neurotransmitter, causing spasms, convulsions, salivation and death from respiratory arrest. It is therefore, within this context ———————————————— Alfred Maroyi, PhD in Botany, University of Fort Hare, South Africa. that the current study was conducted aimed at reviewing the E-mail: [email protected] medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of S. henningsii. 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS Several electronic databases were searched which included Web of Science, Elsevier, Pubmed, Google scholar, Springer, Science Direct, Scopus, Taylor and Francis. Additional 10 IJSTR©2021 www.ijstr.org INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 10, ISSUE 07, JULY 2021 ISSN 2277-8616 Mozambique information was obtained from pre-electronic sources such as Roots and root Abdominal pain and South 18,32-36 books, book chapters, scientific journals, theses and other bark grey literature obtained from the University library. The Africa Kenya, South relevant term Strychnos henningsii was paired with keywords Anthelmintic Bark and roots Africa and 3,16,37-44 such as ―medicinal uses of Strychnos henningsii‖, Tanzania Kenya and 16,30,40,45- ―phytochemicals of Strychnos henningsii‖, ―biological activities Appetiser Bark of Strychnos henningsii‖, ―pharmacological properties of South Africa 48 Roots and root Strychnos henningsii‖, ―ethnobotany of Strychnos henningsii‖, Arthritis Kenya 22,49-51 bark and various other synonyms and common names of the plant Aspergillosis Bark South Africa 52 species. The ultimate goal of this search was to explore Back pain Root bark Kenya 51,53 articles that investigated the medicinal uses, phytochemical Madagascar and pharmacological properties of S. henningsii. A total of 114 Bilharzia Twigs and South 30,54-56 articles published between 1960 and 2021 matched the Africa Kenya, South Blood cleanser Bark and roots 16,57 inclusion criteria and were included in this review (Fig. 1). Africa Boost immune Leaves South Africa 58 system 2,14,38- Madagascar Bark, leaves, 40,42,45,48, Colic and South stems and twigs 50,56,59,60- Africa 63 32- Kenya and Diabetes mellitus Bark and leaves 36,42,52,64, South Africa 65 Dizziness Bark South Africa 39,42 Fatigue Root bark Kenya 51 Leaves, stems Gastric ulcers Madagascar 56 and twigs Gastro-intestinal 2,3,14,16,18 problems Kenya, ,30,32- (constipation, Bark, leaves, Mozambique 36,38,39,41- diarrhoea, roots, root bark and South 44,48- stomach ache and and stem bark Africa 50,52,58,59, stomach 62,63,66-76 complaints) Gout Root bark Kenya 51 Kenya and Headache Bark and roots 16,56 Madagascar Internal injuries Roots Kenya 13,42,77,78 22,23,28,38, Leaves, roots Joint pain Kenya 50,51,62,63, and root bark Fig. 1. Flow chart showing the number of research 79,80 Leaves mixed publications used in this study with Boscia salicifolia Oliv. 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Joint pains leaves and Kenya 28,81 Carissa spinarum L. root 3.1 Medicinal uses of Strychnos henningsii bark The bark, leaves, roots, root bark, stems, stem bark and twigs Leaves and of S. henningsii are mainly used as anthelmintic, appetizer, stem bark mixed blood cleanser, purgative, tonic and ethnoveterinary medicine, with Pavetta and traditional medicine for abdominal pain, bilharzia, colic, crassipes K. Schum. (leaves), diabetes mellitus, gastro-intestinal problems, headache, Joint pains Carissa Kenya 28 malaria, menstrual problems, pain, respiratory diseases, spinarum L. rheumatism, snake bite and syphilis (Table 1, Fig. 2). In (root bark) and Kenya, the leaves of S. henningsii are mixed with leaves of Zanthoxylum Boscia salicifolia Oliv. and root bark of Carissa spinarum L. as chalybeum Engl. traditional medicine for joint pains [28]. Similarly, the leaves (leaves) Bark, leaves and Kidney pains Kenya 76,82 and stem bark of S. henningsii are mixed with leaves of stem bark Pavetta crassipes K. Schum., root bark of Carissa spinarum L. Bark, leaves, Kenya, 16,31- roots, root bark, Mozambique 36,39,42,51, and leaves of Zanthoxylum chalybeum Engl. as traditional Malaria medicine for joint pains [28]. In South Africa, the bark of S. stems and stem and South 52,69,76,78, henningsii is mixed with roots of Turraea floribunda Hochst. as bark Africa 80,82-88 Menstrual Kenya and 14,30,41,48, Bark and leaves traditional medicine