Ethnobotanical survey and antibacterial activity of some plants used in Guinean traditional medicine.

A total of 418 healers have been interviewed in Guinea, a coastal country of West Africa, ranging between 7 degrees 30 and 12 degrees 30 of northern latitude and 8 degrees and 15 degrees of western longitude. Plant species used by the local inhabitants to treat infectious diseases were identified using ethnobotanical, ethnographic and taxonomic methods. During these investigations, 218 plants were registered, of which the following were the most frequently used: Erythrina senegalensis, Bridelia ferruginea, Crossopteryx febrifuga, Ximenia americana, Annona senegalensis, Cochlospermum tinctorium, Cochlospermum planchonii, Lantana camara, Costus afer, Psidium guajava, Terminalia glaucescens, Uapaca somon and Swartzia madagascariensis. Most plants, and especially the leaves, were essentially used as a decoction. In order to assess antibacterial activity, 190 recipes were prepared and biologically tested, among which six showed activity (minimal inhibitory concentration<125 microg/ml) against Bacillus cereus, Mycobacterium fortuitum, Staphylococcus aureus, or Candida albicans, i.e., Entada africana, Chlorophora regia, Erythrina senegalensis, Harrisonia abyssinica, Uvaria tomentosa, and a mixture of six plants consisting of Swartzia madagascariensis, Isoberlinia doka, Annona senegalensis, Gardenia ternifolia, Terminalia glaucescens and Erythrina senegalensis.

Awareness of, use and perception of efficacy of alternative therapies by patients with inflammatory arthropathies.

Fifty one patients with chronic inflammatory polyarthritis were surveyed on unconventional treatments they used to self-treat their condition. Awareness of the availability of alternative therapies (ATs) was universal. Sixty-six percent (66%) of patients had tried one or more ATs. The most popular ATs were dietary manipulation (no red meat, dosing with vinegar and honey), the wearing of magnets and copper bracelets, and acupuncture. The best predictors of AT use were male sex, Caucasian race and formal education beyond high school. Numbers were too small to make definitive statements about perceptions of efficacy, but the users of magnets and fish oils tended to be dissatisfied with these ATs, while those who had tried bee stings, herbs and hormones claimed effectiveness.