A Hausa herbal pharmacopoeia: biomedical evaluation of commonly used plant medicines.

Biochemical analysis of a selected sample of the Hausa (northern Nigeria) medicinal flora is presented in order to assess potential chemotherapeutic values. Laboratory investigation, supplemented by previously published phytochemical constituent analyses of pertinent taxa, suggests that a number of disorders can be effectively treated by the Hausa practitioner. The Hausa herbal pharmacopoeia is analysed first with reference to its efficacy in the treatment of oral disease. Examined subsequently are Hausa plant medicines considered to be of potential value in the treatment and/or prevention of malaria infection, with particular attention focussed on the malaria symptom complex and parasite-host cell biochemistry. Results are discussed in the context of the adaptive potential of non-Western medical systems and the significance of this aspect for medical policy development programs.