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Article History:
Received: 14 January 2021
Accepted: 24 May 2021
ePublished: 27 May 2021
Keywords:
-Bignoniaceae
-Biological activities
-Ethnobotanical uses
-Newbouldia laevis
-Phytochemistry
-Tree of life
Abstract
Newbouldia laevis (P. Beauv.) Seem. (Family, Bignoniaceae), commonly known as tree of life, is a purple-flowering plant that is widely distributed in many parts of Africa. Different parts of the plant, including the leaves, flower, stems and roots are prevalently used in African traditional medicine for the management of many diseases and conditions like diabetes, hypertension, skin diseases, ulcer, tumors, pains, infectious diseases, inflammation, dysentery, sickle cell disease and impotency. This review discusses the trado-medical uses, chemical constituents, and biological activities of N. laevis. Based on information generated from scientific investigations deposited in PubMed and SCOPUS, the chemical constituents of the plant include glycosides, anthraquinolones, volatile oils, tannins, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids and sterols. Extracts prepared from different parts of the plant of the plant and compounds isolated from them have been reported to have several health-promoting potentials such as antioxidant, antimalarial, trypanocidal, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, arthritic, cytoprotective, anti-hypertensive, central nervous system modulatory, male reproduction enhancing and oxytocic properties. These scientific investigations have led credence to the ethnobotanical uses of the plant in folkloric practice. In addition, the presence of phytochemical constituents in the plant might be responsible for the wide biological potentials.
10.34172/PS.2021.29
Introduction
Researches on medicinal plants are growing due to increasing human recognition of the need to rely on natural resources around him and to exploit the traditional medicinal knowledge as a source of new drugs.1 Furthermore, a greater population of the world resides in low-income countries where economic limitations render them incapacitated from accessing quality healthcare and affording effective chemical drugs; hence, their reliance on natural products with history of potency in disease management.2 Natural products from plants and marine origin have been traditionally used in treating diseases from time immemorial.3 In addition, a good number of effective drugs currently used in treating malaria, cancer, and many other diseases were derived from plants.2,4-6 Newbouldia laevis (P. Beauv.) Seem. (Syn. N. pentandra (Hook.) is widely distributed in many parts of Africa and is commonly known as Tree of life, African nut tree, and Fertility tree in English, Oke-ogirishi or Ogilishi...