Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Habitat and Distribution —
The plant occurs in the forest savanna mosaic of the lowland
rain forest and in coastal areas, where it is sometimes abundant.
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The species is widespread in
western tropical Africa and parts of the eastern and central regions of the continent. The plant has
been located in Ghana, Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Togo,
Benin, Cameroon, Zaire, and Tanzania.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The root of fagara is employed in Nigeria and parts of West Africa as
a chewing stick. A decoction of the root bark is used in Nigeria and Ghana as an analgesic for tooth-
ache, pain during childbirth, and trauma and as a vermifuge in Guinea. An embrocation of the root
or stem bark is employed in sprains. It is also employed as an oral antiseptic and as wound dressing.
As a tonic for general body weakness and for convalescing patients, a tablespoonful of a mixture
of powdered stem bark of Z.
zanthoxyloides,
fruits of
Piper guineense,
and fruits of
Xylopia aethi-
opica
is mixed with pap (maize custard) and drunk every morning until the patient recovers. For
the treatment of male impotence, a small quantity of the dried ground mixture of root bark with the
organs of the hippopotamus, goat, and cock is eaten with corn meal pudding or warm water every
morning. The plant has also been employed for the treatment of swollen legs or elephantiasis; for
this purpose a decoction made from the leaves and fruits of
Xylopia aethiopica
is administered.
Other uses include for spleen enlargement, sore throat, indigestion, and urinary tract infections.
Constituents —
All organs of the plant contain volatile oil. The plant contains the alkaloids
chelerythrine, berberine, canthinone, and fagaramide.
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The antisickling fraction of the root
extract has been shown to contain
p-
hydroxyl benzoic acid, 2-hydroxymethylbenzoic acid, vanillic
acid, and similar benzoic acid derivatives.
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Two other benzophenanthridine alkaloids, nitidine
and 9-methoxychelerythrine, are also found in some African
Zanthoxylum
species.
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Pharmacological Studies —
An alcohol extract of the plant showed significant antimicrobial
activity attributed to the alkaloids and the phenolic benzoic acids.
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The benzophenanthridine
alkaloids possess a number of physiological activities, including antileukemic,
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anticancer,
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antiviral,
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and hypotensive
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actions. One of the fagara alkaloids, cathine-6-one, has been
shown to possess activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including activ-
ity against
Mycobacterium smegmatis, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
and
Candida albicans
.
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The
root extract and the aromatic acids have been shown to reduce significantly the painful crisis of
sickle-cell patients,
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and the crude extract is currently dispensed in Nigeria for the management
of sickle-cell anemia.
The plant also possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.
ZINGIBER OFFICINALE
Botanical Name —
Zingiber officinale
Roscoe
