Ethnobotanical and pharmacognostical studies on Leptadenia hastata Decne (Apocynaceae), a plant used in traditional medicine in Kita, Mali

Abstract

Leptadenia hastata is a plant frequently used in traditional medicine in Mali. Therefore, the study was aimed to inventory the ethnomedicinal uses and to determine the pharmacognostic parameters of the leafy stem of L. hastata harvested in Kita, Mali.Ethnomedicine uses were determined from practitioners of traditional medicine in Kita using a semi-structured questionnaire. Pharmacognostic parameters determined were botanical characteristics, physicochemical parameters, chemical and antiradical constituents. Main ethnomedicinal indications were urinary tract infection and hypertension. Petiolate leaves, opposite and nearly hairless. The blade is variable in shape (cordate, orbicular), the apex pointed, the base auriculate. Multicellular tectorial hairs and anomocytic stomata were the characteristic microscopic features. Water content was less than 8.6±0.5%. Total ash content was 13.8±0.4%. Main chemical constituents were phenolic compounds, sterols, and triterpenes. Aqueous and hydroethanolic extractsreduced the DPPH radical. Data from this study will contribute to the completeness of its monograph.