Abstract
Ehretia obtusifolia Hochst. ex DC. is a shrub or small tree which occurs naturally in tropical Africa and Asia. This study aims to provide some information about the medicinal uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of E. obtusifolia. This review examines the existing literature on the medicinal uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of E. obtusifolia. This study revealed that the bark, branch, fruit, leaf, root, stem, stem bark and twig decoction or infusion of E. obtusifolia are mainly used to treat and manage sore throat, retained placenta in both humans and animals, teething pain, toothache, abdominal pains, menstrual problems and pain. Phytochemical research revealed that the species is characterized by alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolics, phlobatannin, saponin, steroids, tannins and terpenoids. Ethnopharmacological research revealed that the extracts and phytochemical compounds isolated from the species showed antibacterial, anti-diarrhoeal, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antioxidant, cytotoxicity and phytotoxicity activities. Ehretia obtusifolia should be subjected to detailed phytochemical, biological and toxicological studies.
Full text article
References
Ajaib, M., Ashraf, Z., Riaz, F., Siddiqui, M. F. 2014. Ethnobotanical studies of some plants of Tehsil Kharian. Fuuast Journal of Biology, 4(1):65–71.
Al-Sodany, Y. M., Bazaid, S. A., Mosallam, H. A. 2013. Medicinal plants in Saudi Arabia: I. Sarrwat Mountains at Taif. Academic Journal of Plant Sciences, 6:134–145.
Gelfand, M., Mavi, S., Drummond, R. B., Ndemera, B. 1985. The traditional medical practitioner in Zimbabwe: His principles of practice and pharmacopoeia. page 411, Gweru; Page. Mambo Press. ISBN: 9780869223505.
Germishuizen, G., Meyer, N. L. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: An annotated checklist. Strelitzia, 14:1231–1231.
Glen, H. 2004. What’s in a name? The meaning of the botanical names of trees. page 80, Jacana, Johannesburg. ISBN: 9781770090408.
Gottschling, M., Diane, N., Hilger, H. H., Weigend, M. 2004. Testing Hypotheses on Disjunctions Present in the Primarily Woody Boraginales: Ehretiaceae, Cordiaceae and Heliotropiaceae, Inferred from ITS1 Sequence Data. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 165(S4): S123–S135. ISSN: 1058- 5893, 1537-5315.
Gottschling, M., Luebert, F., Hilger, H. H., Miller, J. S. 2014. Molecular delimitations in the Ehretiaceae (Boraginales). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 72:1–6. ISSN: 1055-7903.
Gottschling, M., Weigend, M., Hilger, H. H., Ehretiaceae, Kadereit, J., Bittrich, V. 2016. Flowering plants, eudicots: The families and genera of vascular plants. volume 14, pages 165–178, Cham. Springer. ISBN: 978-3-642-39417-1.
Hedberg, I., Hedberg, O., Madati, P. J., Mshigeni, K. E., Mshiu, E. N., Samuelsson, G. 1982. Inventory of plants used in traditional medicine in Tanzania. I. Plants of the families acanthaceae-cucurbitaceae. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 6(1):29–60. ISBN: 0378-8741.
Hilger, H. H., Gottschling, M. 2002. Phylogenetic analysis and character evolution of Ehretia and Bourreria (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales)-correction. Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie, 124(2):149–150. ISSN: 0006-8152.
Huma, Z. 2014. Pharmacognostic evaluation of Ehretia serrata Roxb. and Ehretia obtusifolia Hocht. ex A.DC. University of Peshawar, Peshawar. Family Boraginaceae. Article Id: 18299.
Huma, Z., Ibrar, M., Hadi, F., Barkatullah, H., Gigyani, M. K. 2018a. Phytochemical screening and in vitro antioxidant activities of Ehretia serrata Roxb. and Ehretia obtusifolia Hochst. ex A. DC (Family: Boraginaceae). International Journal of Biosciences, 12(5):221–234.
Huma, Z. E., Rauf, A., Natasha, K., Shah, N., Ibrar, M., Barkatullah, Khan, H., Mubarak, M. S., Maalik, A. 2018b. Evaluation of antinociceptive potential of methanolic extract of different parts of Ehretia serrata Roxb and Ehretia obtusifolia in vivo. Biomedical Research, 29(9):1792–1796. ISSN: 0976-1683.
Hutchings, A., Scott, A. H., Lewis, G., Cunningham, A. B. 1996. Zulu Medicinal Plants. volume 60 of 9, page 955. ISBN: 0-86980-893-1.
Iqbal, I., Hamayun, M. 2004. Studies on the traditional uses of plants of Malam Jabba valley. Ethnobotanical Leaflets, 8(1).
Iqbal, K., Nawaz, S. A., Malik, A., Riaz, N., Mukhtar, N., Mohammad, P., Choudhary, M. I. 2005. Isolation and Lipoxygenase-Inhibition Studies of Phenolic Constituents from Ehretia obtusifolia. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 2(1):104–111. ISSN: 1612- 1872, 1612-1880.
Jabeen, A., Khan, M. A., Ahmad, M., Zafar, M., Ahmad, F. 2009. Indigenous uses of economically important flora of Margallah Hills National Park. African Journal of Biotechnology, 8:1684–5315.
Kokwaro, J. O. 2009. Medicinal plants of East Africa. page 478, Nairobi. University of Nairobi Press. ISBN: 9789966846846.
Martins, E. S., Brummitt, R. K., Boraginaceae, Launert, E., Pope, G. V. 1990. Flora Zambesiaca Managing Committee. volume 7 of 4, pages 59–110, London. ISBN: 9780950768274.
Nahashon, M. 2013. Conservation of wild-harvested medicinal plant species in Tanzania chain and consequence of commercial trade on medicinal plant species. page 50, Uppsala University, Uppsala. Master Thesis. ISBN: 1650-6553.
Palgrave, M. C. 2002. Keith Coates Palgrave trees of southern Africa. Cape Town; Page. Struik Publishers. ISBN: 9781868727674.
Palmer, E., Pitman, N. 1972. Trees of southern Africa, covering all known indigenous species in the Republic of South Africa. page 2235, South- West Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town. ISBN: 0869610333.
Retief, E., Van Wyk, A. E. 2001. The genus Ehretia (Boraginaceae: Ehretioideae) in southern. Africa. Bothalia, 31(1):2311–9284.
Riedl, H. 1967. Ehretia (Boraginaceae), Flora Iranica. volume 48, pages 7–8.
Riedl, H., Meijer, W., Huang, T.-C., Richard, S. M. K., and B. A. B. 1997. Flora Malesiana, Rafflesiaceae, Boraginaceae, Daphniphyllaceae, Illicicacea, Schisandraceae, Loranthaceae, Visaceae. volume 13 of 1, pages 91–99. ISBN: 9789071236334.
Schmelzer, G. H., Gurib-Fakim, A., Arroo, R., Bosch, C. H., De Ruijter, A., Simmonds, M. S. J., Lemmens, R. H. M. J., Oyen, L. P. A. 2008. Ehretia obtusifolia Hochst. ex DC. Plant resources of tropical Africa, 11:237–238.
Schmidt, E., Lotter, M., Mccleland, W. 2007. Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Jacana Media, Johannesburg. 2nd Edition, ISBN: 9781770093751.
Shah, A., Marwat, S. K., Gohar, F., Khan, A., Bhatti, K. H., Amin, M., Din, N. U., Ahmad, M., Zafar, M. 2013. Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants of Semi-Tribal Area of Makerwal & Gulla Khel (Lying between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab Provinces), Pakistan. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 04(01):98–116. ISSN: 2158-2742, 2158- 2750.
Shah, A., Rahim, S. 2017. Ethnomedicinal uses of plants for the treatment of malaria in Soon Valley, Khushab, Pakistan. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 200:84–106. ISSN: 0378-8741.
Sher, Z., Khan, Z. U. D., Hussain, F. 2011. Ethnobotanical studies of some plants of Chagharzai Valley. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 43(3):1445–1452.
Watt, J. M., Breyer-Brandwijk, M. G. 1962. The medicinal and poisonous plants of southern and eastern Africa. pages 1457–1457, Edinburgh. E and S Livingstone Ltd. 2nd Edition, Record Number: 19620605093.
Wentzel, J., Van Ginkel, C. E. 2012. Distribution, use and ecological roles of the medicinal plants confined to freshwater ecosystems in South Africa. Water Research Commission, pages 1–181. WRC Report No. KV 300/12.
Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.