ReviewJournal of ethnopharmacology2020
The traditional use of southern African medicinal plants in the treatment of viral respiratory diseases: A review of the ethnobotany and scientific evaluations.
Review in Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 73 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antimycobacterial Mechanisms and Anti-Virulence Activities of Polyphenolic-Rich South African Medicinal Plants AgainstMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Utilized by Traditional Healers in Managing Respiratory Tract Infections in the Kagera Region, Tanzania.TheScientificWorldJournal · 2026Article
- Review
- Perceptions on anthelmintic use and resistance development in goats under communal production systems.BMC veterinary research · 2025Article
- Medicinal plants trade in Harare's urban markets: diversity, conservation status, and economic significance.Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine · 2025Article
- South African Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used for Wound Treatment: An Ethnobotanical Systematic Review.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- An updated review deciphering the anticancer potential of pentacyclic triterpene lupeol and its nanoformulations.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Traditional Herbal Plants and their Phytoconstituents Based Remedies for Respiratory Diseases: A Review.The open respiratory medicine journal · 2025Review
- Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Communal Goat Farmers on the Prevalence and Control of Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Journal of parasitology research · 2025Article
- Exploring Bioactive Phytomedicines for Advancing Pulmonary Infection Management: Insights and Future Prospects.Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2024Review
- Review on the Anti-Hyperglycemic Potential ofPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- An ethnoveterinary study on medicinal plants used by the Bai people in Yunlong County northwest Yunnan, China.Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine · 2024Article
- Indigenous Knowledge and Quantitative Analysis of Medicinal Plants Used to Remedy Respiratory Tract Disorders in Mid-Western Tanzania.BioMed research international · 2024Article
- Exploration of the anti-inflammatory potential ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Advances in Legume Systematics 14. Classification of Caesalpinioideae. Part 2: Higher-level classification.PhytoKeys · 2024Article
- Ethiopian Medicinal Plants Used for Respiratory Tract Disorders: Ethnomedicinal Review.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2023Review
- Medicinal plants used for the management of respiratory diseases in Zimbabwe: Review and perspectives potential management of COVID-19.Physics and chemistry of the earth (2002) · 2022Article
- Anti-Biofilms' Activity of Garlic and Thyme Essential Oils againstMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Bioactivity of Essential Oils for Mitigation ofFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Ethnobotany of the Himalayas: Safeguarding Medical Practices and Traditional Uses of Kashmir Regions.Biology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
ethnopharmacological relevanceViral respiratory infections are amongst the most common infections globally, with most of the world's population contracting at least one infection annually. Numerous plant species are used in traditional southern African healing systems to treat these diseases and to alleviate the symptoms. Despite this, the therapeutic potential of these plants against viral respiratory diseases remains poorly explored. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to document the southern African plant species used in traditional medicine to treat viral respiratory infections. We also examined the extent of scientific evaluations of southern African plant species against the respiratory-infective viruses, with the aim of stimulating interest in this area and focusing on future studies. MATERIALS AND
methodsWe undertook an extensive review of ethnobotanical books, reviews and primary scientific studies to identify southern African plants which are used in traditional southern African medicine to treat viral respiratory diseases. This information was used to identify gaps in the current research that require further study.
resultsTwo hundred and fifty-seven southern African plant species were identified as traditional therapies for viral respiratory diseases. Surprisingly, only one of those species (as well as twenty-one other species not recorded for these purposes) has been evaluated for the ability to block respiratory virus production. Furthermore, most of these studies screened against a single viral strain and none of those studies examined the mechanism of action of the plant preparations.
conclusionsDespite well documented records of the use of southern African plants to treat respiratory viral diseases, the field is poorly explored. Nearly all of the plant species used in traditional healing systems to treat these diseases are yet to be tested. Substantial further work is required to verify the efficacy of these traditional medicines.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.