Hepato-Protective Effects of Some Medicinal Plants of Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatic diseases have become common, difficult to treat, and a big health challenge in Ugandan communities. Possibly these hepatic diseases are being caused by   much alcohol consumption which is prevalent in our society, by poison consumption, pathogenic microbes e.g. hepatitis B which is a viral disease and chemotherapeutic agents e.g. thioacetamide, fluconazole, acetaminophen, diclofenac, rifampin and Isoniazid; which cause destruction and inflammation of the liver especially on prolonged use. Protecting the liver from damage is important because the liver has major metabolic functions in the body. Though prescription medications are available for their hepatoprotective effects, these often come with many other side effects. This puts our attention on medicinal plants which are available, reliable and cheap to get; as better alternative for hepatic therapy than the existing and expensive drugs.  This paper is a literature review of existing information on medicinal plants around Uganda with hepatoprotective effects. Their chemical components, uses and local names according to the regions they are found in were also highlighted. Methods: Literature search was carried out, especially on articles of pharmacognosy and pharmacology; about hepato protective effects of some medicinal plants, not only in our country but also worldwide as available in different databases. This was done using mostly Google scholar and Pub Med. The Uganda clinical guideline 2023 was used to relate the diseases. Results: While specific studies on the hepatoprotective effects of Ugandan plants are limited especially by the cost of research and paucity of funding, several species used in Ugandan traditional medicine were reported to have shown potential liver-protective properties. These include; Allium cepa, Terminalia macroptera, Phyllanthus amarus, Kalanchoe pinnata, Curcuma longa, Boerhavia diffusa, Silybum marianum, Woodfordia fruticosa, Solanum nigrum, Phyllanthus muellarianus, Capsicum annuum and Moringa oleifera. Discussion and Conclusion:  Scientific validation of these hepatoprotective herbs should be encouraged by the government to investigate their comparative efficacy and toxicity with the imported drugs. Where they are found to be better alternatives to the imported medicines, these herbs can be approved legally to be inculcated in the mainstream health setting. Local pharmaceutical companies should also be encouraged to identify the extracts from these herbs as possible drug candidates and use them in local drug manufacture not only for internal consumption but also for export.