Antimalarial activity in crude extracts of some Cameroonian medicinal plants.

Fifteen crude extracts from the stem bark and seeds of four medicinal plants, viz: Entandrophragma angolense, Picralima nitida, Schumanniophyton magnificum and Thomandersia hensii were tested in vitro for their antimalarial activity against the chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum W2 strain. The results showed that the extracts of these plants possessed some antimalarial activity, the methanol extract of Picralima nitida demonstrating the highest activity in vitro. Further isolation and identification of some active compounds from these plants will justify their common use in traditional medicine for the treatment of malaria or fever in Cameroon.