Ethnomedicinal plants used for snakebite treatments in Ethiopia: a comprehensive overview

Abstract Traditional medicine plays an important role in the daily lives of people living in rural parts of Ethiopia. Despite the fact that Ethiopia has a long history of using traditional medicinal plants as an alternative medicine source, there is no checklist compiling these plants used for snakebite treatment. This review collected and compiled available knowledge on and practical usage of such plants in the country. A literature review on medicinal plants used to treat snakebites was conducted from 67 journal articles, PhD dissertation and MSc theses available online. Data that summarize scientific and folk names, administration methods, plant portion used for treatment and method of preparation of recipes were organized and analyzed based on citation frequency. The summarized results revealed the presence of 184 plant species distributed among 67 families that were cited for treating snakebite in Ethiopia. In this literature search, no single study was entirely dedicated to the study of traditional medicinal plants used for the treatment of snakebite in Ethiopia. Most of the species listed as a snakebite remedy were shrubs and climbers (44%) followed by herbs (33%) and trees (23%). Fabaceae was the most predominant family with the greatest number of species, followed by Solanaceae and Vitaceae. Remedies are mainly prepared from roots and leaves, through decoctions, infusions, powders and juices. Most remedies were administered orally (69%). The six most frequently mentioned therapeutically important plants were Nicotiana tabacum, Solanum incanum, Carissa spinanrum, Calpurnia aurea, Croton macrostachyus and Cynodon dactylon. Authors reviewed the vegetal substances involved in snakebite management and their action mode. In addition to screening the biologically active ingredients and pharmacological activities of these plant materials, future studies are needed to emphasize the conservation and cultivation of important medicinal plants of the country.

摘要：传统医药在埃塞俄比亚农村居民的日常生活中发挥着重要作用。尽管埃塞俄比亚将传统药用植物作为替代医药来源的历史悠久，但目前尚无一份汇总该国用于治疗蛇伤的药用植物的清单。本综述收集并整理了该国境内此类药用植物的相关现有知识与实际应用方法。本研究通过检索在线可得的67篇期刊论文、博士学位论文及硕士学位论文，开展了针对治疗蛇伤药用植物的文献综述。研究对涵盖植物学名与俗名、给药方式、治疗所用植物部位及方剂制备方法的相关数据进行了整理，并基于引用频次开展分析。汇总结果显示，埃塞俄比亚境内被用于治疗蛇伤的药用植物共计184种，隶属于67个科。本次文献检索发现，尚无任何一项研究专门针对埃塞俄比亚用于治疗蛇伤的传统药用植物展开系统性研究。在被列为蛇伤治疗方剂的药用植物中，多数为灌木与藤本植物（占比44%），其次为草本植物（33%）与乔木（23%）。豆科（Fabaceae）的物种数量最多，为占比最高的科，其次为茄科（Solanaceae）与葡萄科（Vitaceae）。治疗方剂主要由根与叶制备而来，制备方式包括煎煮、浸渍、研磨成粉及榨取汁液。多数方剂经口服给药（占比69%）。被提及频次最高的6种具有重要治疗价值的植物分别为烟草（Nicotiana tabacum）、喀西茄（Solanum incanum）、刺假虎刺（Carissa spinanrum）、金黄决明（Calpurnia aurea）、大戟叶巴豆（Croton macrostachyus）以及狗牙根（Cynodon dactylon）。本综述对用于蛇伤救治的植物类物质及其作用机制进行了梳理。除了对这些植物材料的生物活性成分与药理活性进行筛选外，未来还需重点关注该国重要药用植物的保护与引种栽培工作。