Barriers to Global Recognition of Traditional African Medicines: A Systematic Review of Cultural, Scientific, Regulatory, and Economic Factors

Despite the profound cultural and medicinal heritage of traditional African medicines (TAM), their global recognition remains notably limited. This study investigates the factors behind this issue, focusing on cultural perceptions, scientific validation, regulatory frameworks, and pharmaceutical industry influence. Utilizing a systematic literature review (SLR) to provide a thorough and structured overview, the research addresses these factors with transparency and reproducibility. Key findings reveal that negative cultural perceptions, the dominance of Western medicine, and skepticism towards traditional healers, especially in urban and educated populations, marginalize TAM. Additionally, religious beliefs and historical influences, such as colonialism, further devalue indigenous knowledge systems. The study also highlights a significant lack of scientific research and clinical trials, which challenges the conventional validation of TAM’s efficacy. Moreover, inconsistent international and national regulatory frameworks and the pharmaceutical industry’s dominance impede TAM’s integration into global healthcare systems. To enhance TAM’s credibility and global acceptance, the study advocates for standardized regulatory policies, increased scientific research, and a reevaluation of intellectual property laws. This shift towards a more inclusive and integrative approach in global health systems could bridge the gap between traditional and modern medical practices, promoting a more holistic understanding of health and wellness.

Antimicrobial Activities of Solanum aculeastrum Fruit Extract against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans: Significance of African Traditional Medicine in Combating Infections and Attaining Universal Health Coverage

Solanum aculeastrum, a member of the Solanum genus, has a rich history of traditional use in various populations throughout tropical and southern Africa for treating different ailments. This study investigated the antimicrobial activities of S. aculeastrum fruit extracts grown in Zambia against Escherichia coli (E. coli) (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (ATCC 25923), and Candida albicans (C. albicans). After being dried in an oven at 50°C for eight days, the fruits of S. aculeastrum were pulverised and subjected to extraction using methanol and distilled water as solvents. The resulting crude extract was then filtered, concentrated using a water bath, and packed into airtight containers separately. The disc diffusion method was employed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the extracts. The results showed that both the methanolic and aqueous extracts demonstrated antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and C. albicans, but not against E. coli. The zone of inhibition was greater in S. aureus than in C. albicans. This study highlights the importance of researching plants for their medicinal properties, which can pave the way for discovering natural product-based drugs with potential antimicrobial properties. These findings recommend further studies on plants used in African traditional medicine.

Healed and Crippled： The Effect of Global Medicine on African Indigenous Treatment and Care Approaches

Whereas global medicine and health care practices have improved the quality of people＇s lives, especially in the developing countries data abounds that local communities have been crippled by the same medical practises. Some societies in developing countries have become sources of specimen for clinical trials of biomedicine which is unaffordable to their citizens. This paper explores the neglect of traditional African medicinal innovations and research in favour of imported Western medicine perpetuated by the developed countries. The paper argues that global medicine and health care have neither utilized nor recognized the African Traditional Medicine （ATM） fully, despite the fact that cultures in developed world used and continue to utilize the indigenous medical knowledge. The paper further argues that instead of neglecting African Traditional Medicine, ATM and biomedicine can be more beneficial by blending them into a single system, through what we would call in this paper High-Performance Medical Research （HPMR）. This would allow participation of communities to achieve both socio-eeonomic and medical knowledge growth rather than being a monopoly and preserve of developed organizations in the North. This paper proposes that HPMR should be a systematic and scientific approach for enhancing local people＇s participation in the development of medical ventures. This paper draws on secondary data on traditional African therapeutic practices by some local communities in East Africa combined with literature review on medical practice in Western societies.

Conservation Strategy for African Medicinal Species: In Vitro Biotechnological Approach

The use of medicinal plants for different therapeutic values is well documented in African continent.African diverse biodiversity hotspots provide a wide range of endemic species,which ensures a potential medicinal value.The feasible conservation approach and sustainable harvesting for the medicinal species remains a huge challenge.However,conservation approach through different biotechnological tools such as micropropagation,somatic embryogenesis,synthetic seed production,hairy root culture,molecular markers based study and cryopreservation of endemic African medicinal species is much crucial.In this review,an attempt has been made to provide different in vitro biotechnological approaches for the conservation of African medicinal species.The present review will be helpful in further technology development and deciding the priorities at decision-making levels for in vitro conservation and sustainable use of African medicinal species.

A Bioactivity Versus Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants from Nigeria, West Africa

Traditional medicinal practices play a key role in health care systems in countries with developing economies.The aim of this survey was to validate the use of traditional medicine within local Nigerian communities.In this review,we examine the ethnobotanical uses of selected plant species from the Nigerian flora and attempt to correlate the activities of the isolated bioactive principles with known uses of the plant species in African traditional medicine.Thirty-three(33)plant species were identified and about 100 out of the 120 compounds identified with these plants matched with the ethnobotanical uses of the plants.