Medical ethnobotany of the Maasai: In vitro evaluation of traditional anti-malarials (Kenya).

摘要

The Maasai tribe of Kenya is a culture that continues to depend on traditional plants to treat disease. This research investigated the biological activities of plants used by the Maasai specifically to treat malaria, due to malaria's prevalence and the lack of reliable treatment. Based on the hypothesis that plants used by the Maasai to treat malaria would have a greater potential for displaying antimalarial activity in vitro , the objectives of this research were to: Conduct interviews with members of the Maasai community (both herbalists and non-herbalists), document the plants named by the Maasai to treat malaria, collect plants named during interviews to treat malaria, determine in vitro antimalarial activity and cytotoxicity, isolate and identify any chemical constituent(s) potentially responsible for in vitro antimalarial activity and statistically analyze relationships between physical or social parameters (education, age, gender) and the number of plants known or the degree of in vitro efficacy (mean Selectivity Index (SI)) of plants named by an informant.; The overall goal of this research was to return the findings of this research to the Maasai community in the most culturally relevant medium. A book containing the plants used by the Maasai is already underway in collaboration with a Maasai herbalist. The book will compile safety and efficacy information resulting from literature searches and laboratory biological evaluation, for the use by younger generations, for the preservation of Maasai antimalarial plant knowledge, and as a reference used by herbalists, clinics and possibly schools for education and hopefully, subsequent conservation of these important plants and the knowledge of their uses.