Abstract

The thesis was designed to determine the efficacy and chemical composition of herbal medicines used for the treatment of anaemia in Malawi. The herbal medicines included in the study were established through a questionnaire survey of traditional healers in Blantyre district. The list of herbal medicine studied include Toona ciliate, Dalbergia nitidula, Psidium guajava, Ensente livingstonianum, Pericopsis angolensis, Elephantorrhiza goetzei, Acalypha villicaulis, and Persia americana. Chemical composition of the herbal medicine was determined with respect to the contents of protein, iron, ascorbic acid, zinc and copper, these being the substances involved in blood production, or that facilitate absorption of iron. The herbal medicines were also screened for the presence of the following classes of phytochemical compounds: alkaloids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, steroids, flavanoids, anthracyanins and anthraquinones. The herbal medicines were found to contain differing amounts of these chemical components within the following ranges: moisture 6.1 – 10.1 %, protein 3.2 – 29.3 %, iron 7.5 – 69.8 mg/100g, ascorbic acid 10.6 – 63.8 mg/100g, copper 0.3 – 3.7 mg/100g and zinc 3.1 – 6.5 mg/100g. Ensente livingstonianum was found to contain the highest amount of iron (69.8 mg/100g), ascorbic acid (63.8 mg/100g) and copper (3.7 mg/100g). Iron is a primary raw material of haemoglobin, ascorbic acid reduces ferric iron to ferrous iron which can be absorbed, and copper containing proteins are involved in the mobilization of iron from its storage sites to the plasma. The efficacy of the herbal medicines for the treatment of anaemia was determined for avocado pear (Persia americana), through clinical trials at a herbal clinic (Chirimba). Forty four (44) patients who showed signs and symptoms of anaemia, confirmed by low haemoglobin levels upon testing by a qualified laboratory technician at the herbal clinic, were given to drink three times a day, 250 mls of a liquid herbal medicine prepared from a mixture of 700 g avocado leaves and 150 g avocado root bark which had been boiled with water for 3 hours to a final volume of 15 liters. After 7 and 14 days treatment, patients were checked for symptoms of anaemia, and had their haemoglobin levels measured. All the patients who returned for follow-up assessment, 33 out of 44, showed increased levels of haemoglobin. After the first week, haemoglobin levels increased by 1.58 g/dl ±0.19 g/dl on average. After the second week, 14 out of the 33 patients returned for follow-up, and all showed an increase in haemoglobin levels of 1.20 g/dl ±0.33 g/dl on average. These increases in haemoglobin levels were comparable to those expected, 1.5 – 2.1 g/dl in a month, with iron supplementation by standard regime in ideal situations.

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School	: School of Natural and Applied Sciences
Issued Date	: 2007

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