Research rticle
Herbs Used in Antimalarial Medicines: A Study in the Greater
Accra Region of Ghana
Nathaniel Nene Djangmah Nortey ,
1
Samuel Korsah ,
2
Miriam Tagoe ,
2
John Antwi Apenteng ,
2
Fredrick Akufo Owusu ,
2,
Josephine Oppong ,
2
Anita Etornam Attah ,
2
and Sheila Allotey
4
1
University of Health and llied Sciences, Institute of Traditional and lternative Medicine (ITM), Ho, Ghana
2
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Central University, ccra, Ghana
3
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
4
Ho Teaching Hospital, Ho, Ghana
Correspondence should be addressed to Nathaniel Nene Djangmah Nortey; nnortey@uhas.edu.gh
Received 18 April 2023; Revised 3 August 2023; Accepted 8 August 2023; Published 19 August 2023
Academic Editor: Emilio Lizarraga
Copyright © 2023 Nathaniel Nene Djangmah Nortey et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Background and im.Ghana is one of the many Sub•Saharan African countries battling malaria. Te disease is treated with orthodox
medication as well as some home•grown remedies, mainly from plants. Tis study sought to identify these local remedies being
marketed, focusing on the active ingredients being used. Methods. Pharmacy shops were randomly scouted and products were observed.
Te active ingredients were documented and their frequencies were determined. Results.Forty•four (44) plant species belonging to
twenty•eight (28) families were recorded for the treatment of malaria in the survey. Te predominant families were the Leguminosae
and Meliaceae families. Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Ghanaian quinine or yellow dye root) and zadirachta indica (neem tree) were the
most cited plants. Cryptolepis and neem tree were used 17 and 15 times, respectively, in the fnished herbal products for treating malaria.
Conclusion. Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and zadirachta indica (neem tree) are important herbs for the treatment of malaria in Ghana.
Locally manufactured herbal antimalarials are important for the treatment of malaria in urban and rural communities in Ghana.
1.Introduction
Malaria is a major health problem worldwide, afecting
nearly half of the world’s population in 2020, with most
cases and deaths occurring in Sub•Saharan Africa and
south•eastern Asia [1]. Globally, an estimated 241 million
cases of malaria were recorded, with 627,000 of these cases
leading to death. Te African region shared 95% of the
cases recorded worldwide and also 96% of deaths [2].
Ghana is ranked among eleven other countries as a high•
burden country, accounting for >70% of the global malaria
cases and deaths. In Africa, Ghana is among the two
highest•burden countries, reporting the highest absolute
increase in malaria cases in 2018 compared to 2017 [3].
However, malaria deaths have signifcantly reduced in
recent times.
Te World Health Assembly continues to prioritize the
treatment and elimination of malaria in member countries.
As part of their eforts to control malaria, in May 2015, the
World Health Assembly adopted a global technical strategy
for malaria to be implemented between 2016 and 2030.
Member countries pledged to accelerate the progress to•
wards malaria elimination by targeting to reduce global
malaria incidence and mortality rates by at least 90% by 2030
[4]. As updated in 2021, the group prioritizes ensuring access
to malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment as part of
universal health coverage. Hence, early diagnosis followed
by prompt efective treatment of malaria in public and
private health facilities and at the community level was
adopted as the frst pillar. Early diagnosis and treatment of
malaria reduce the incidence of the disease and death,
further reducing transmission of the parasite [5].
Hindawi
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume 2023, Article ID 6697078, 8 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6697078