Underexplored Medicinal Plants from Sub-Saharan Africa

Professor Namrita Lall is truly passionate about evaluating the wonders of medicinal plants and not only concludes her findings on collating information on ethnobotanical usage, but takes it beyond proving their efficacy and eventually resulting in valuable pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical products. Prof Lall is a distinguished scientist in Medicinal Plant Science at the University of Pretoria. Prof Lall is internationally recognised as a leading scholar in the field of Phytomedicine, which is reflected by her recent appointments as an adjunct Professor at the School of Natural Resources University of Missouri, USA (Dept is 1 of the top 15 in the world), a Senior Research fellow at the Bio-Tech R&D Institute, Jamaica and an adjunct faculty at JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, India. She has been placed in the Essential Science Indicators list of the top 1% of publication outputs (citations) in the discipline pharmacology and toxicology. She has international recognition for her research into the potential of medicinal plants for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical purposes. She has made a significant contribution to the field of Medicinal Plant science. Several medicinal plants with valuable biological activities have been discovered, which led to several national and international patents. She has co-authored about 135 research articles in peer-reviewed journals and 24 book chapters. The book by Prof Lall, entitled ‘Medicinal Plants for Holistic Health and Well-being’, was published by Elsevier in 2018. Among several awards received in recognition for her work, a few are “The Order of Mapungubwe”, South Africa’s highest honour, Distinguished Young Women in Science Award, prestigious United Kingdom Royal Society/National Research Foundation award and UNESCO-L’Oreal Award for Women in Science. Prof Lall has presented numerous keynotes and plenary talks at international conferences. She has demonstrated a commitment to community development by interacting positively with traditional health practitioners and engaging them in advancing traditional medicines towards conventional pharmaceutical products.

"Overall, this book will be highly prized by readers from different backgrounds. Pharmacognosists and phytochemists will appreciate the description of compounds isolated and biological data provided in the book. Ethnobotanists will value the traditional uses detailed in each monograph. International and national agencies can use this book to guide their policy relative to quality control and identification of medicinal plants. Students from various fields, especially from pharmacognosy, will learn about standardized methods used to create monographs. Finally, amateur botanists and persons interested in understudied medicinal plants will be able to recognize them in the field using high-quality photographs found in this book. Overall, this book is a useful and accessible resource on selected plants from sub-Saharan Africa which contributes to their safe and effective use in traditional medicine. We recommend it to anyone who is interested in medicinal plants." --Frontiers in Pharmacology"Reviewing a book of this magnitude is quite a humbling opportunity. Given the vastness of the human cultural spread and their interaction with plants of diverse habitats, the idea of picking up the cudgel to edit a book of this nature must have taken a lot of courage from the editor. This book of 360 pages has encompassed, in its precincts, a large amount of plants description (46 species) and their traditional medicinal use. The authors have mentioned the necessity of future exploration, authentication and standardization of plant products before the application by the practitioners or the patients. Thus, the book has worked as the starting line of the new world of exploration of underutilized plants in their therapeutic use. Under the present changing times, the climate is showing its vagaries every so often in one part of the world or the other, tremendously impacting the life of plants and animals on the face of the earth. Needless to say, the world is going to see new products and prototypes from plants in more modern areas, and the kaleidoscope of the worlds’ ethnopharmacological ecosystem is bound to change. Putting it simply, it was found worthwhile by the authors that, at the basic level, a solid knowledge of all the plants, explored and otherwise, must be brought together to make headway. It is thus a unique compilation of 46 chapters, each one dedicated to one underutilized plant from Africa. In its turn, a team of scientists carefully authored each plant. In terms of compaction of knowledge, this book reflects a DNA like coiling and super-coiling. The plants are alphabetically arranged, and the entire book follows a set accepted format including; references, abbreviations, diagrams and author citations. In addition, each Chapter in this book includes exhaustive details up to the molecular level. Furthermore, it covers the vivid description of the plant at the taxonomical, anatomical, and ethnobotanical levels. The latter is of great importance as there exists several herbalists who have created medical wonders by using simple and common plants with unconventional wisdom. This book will be one step further in integrating the MUTIES of Africa and the BUTIS of India in pursuance of human welfare." --South African Journal of Botany

• 1. Acalypha integrifolia subsp. integrifoliaNawraj Rummun, Cláudia Baider, Theeshan Bahorun, and Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun2. Aloe lomatophylloidesJoyce Govinden Soulange, Devina Lobine, Mala Ranghoo Sanmukhiya, Melanie J.R. Howes, and Paul Chazot3. Aloe macraJoyce Govinden Soulange, Mala Ranghoo Sanmukhiya, Devina Lobine, Christophe Lavergne, Melanie J.R. Howes, and Paul Chazot4. Aloe purpureaMala Ranghoo Sanmukhiya, Joyce Govinden Soulange, Devina Lobine, Melanie J.R. Howes, and Paul Chazot5. Aloe spicataBianca Fibrich and Namrita Lall6. Aloe tormentoriiDevina Lobine, Mala Ranghoo Sanmukhiya, Joyce Govinden Soulange, Kersley Pynee, Melanie J.R. Howes, and Paul Chazot7. Bauhinia galpiniiJoseph O. Erhabo and Lyndy J. McGaw8. Bruguiera gymnorhizaNabilah Sadeer, Nadeem Nazurally, Rajesh Jeewon, and Fawzi Mahomoodally9. Buddleja salignaDanielle Twilley and Namrita Lall10. Combretum molleSunelle Rademan and Namrita Lall11. Commelina benghalensisBianca Fibrich and Namrita Lall12. Elaeodendron transvaalenseEmmanual T. Tshikalange and Fatimah Lawal13. Equisetum ramosissimumKarina Szuman and Namrita Lall14. Eriosema kraussianumRiana Kleynhans, Ivy Masefako Makena, and Babalwa Matsiliza-Mlathi15. Erythrophleum lasianthumSipho Chauke and Quenton Kritzinger16. Euclea natalensisCarel B. Oosthuizen and Namrita Lall17. Eugenia crassipetalaMala Ranghoo Sanmukhiya, Joyce Govinden Soulange, Jean-Claude Sevastian, Avinash Budloo, Rachel Brunchault, and Srutee Ramprosand18. Eugenia tinifoliaNawraj Rummun, Cláudia Baider, Theeshan Bahorun, and Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun19. Ficus glumosaAnalike Blom van Staden and Namrita Lall20. Ficus luteaAnalike Blom van Staden and Namrita Lall21. Ficus surAnalike Blom van Staden and Namrita Lall22. Greyia radlkoferiMarco Nuno De Canha and Namrita Lall23. Haemanthus albiflosBalungile Madikizela and Lyndy Joy McGaw24. Heteropyxis canescensDikonketso Bodiba and Namrita Lall25. Heteropyxis dehniaeDikonketso Bodiba and Namrita Lall26. Hypericum revolutum subsp. revolutumAnalike Blom van Staden and Namrita Lall27. Juncus effususCarel B. Oosthuizen, Matthew Fisher, and Namrita Lall28. Lannea schweinfurthiiFatimah Lawal and T.E. Tshikalange29. Lippia scaberrimaAnna-mari Kok and Namrita Lall30. Newtonia buchananiiKatlego Ellena Motlhatlego and Lyndy J. McGaw31. Nymphaea caeruleaCarel B. Oosthuizen, Matthew Fisher, and Namrita Lall32. Ocimum labiatumIsa A. Lambrechts and Namrita Lall33. Phyllanthus phillyreifoliusMohamad Fawzi Mahomoodally, Beebee Noushreen Kissoon, and Sameerchand Pudaruth34. Plantago longissimaBianca Fibrich and Namrita Lall35. Plectranthus eckloniiIsa A. Lambrechts and Namrita Lall36. Plectranthus neochilusIsa A. Lambrechts and Namrita Lall37. Rapanea melanophloeosAnalike Blom van Staden and Namrita Lall38. Ravenala madagascariensisShanoo Suroowan and Fawzi Mahomoodally39. Searsia lanceaMurunwa Madzinga and Quenton Kritzinger40. Siphonochilus aethiopicusAnna-Mari Reid and Namrita Lall41. Stillingia lineata subsp. lineataNawraj Rummun, Cláudia Baider, Theeshan Bahorun, and Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun42. Terminalia bentzoe subsp. bentzoeNawraj Rummun, Cláudia Baider, Theeshan Bahorun, and Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun43. Terminalia prunioidesFatimah Lawal and T.E. Tshikalange44. Vigna unguiculataSipho Chauke and Quenton Kritzinger45. Wikstroemia indicaShanoo Suroowan and Fawzi Mahomoodally46. Zantedeschia aethiopicaKarina Szuman and Namrita Lall