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. 2025 Jun 4;25(1):201.
doi: 10.1186/s12906-025-04946-3.

Medicinal plants traditionally used for management of malaria in rural communities of Uganda

Lydia Bunalema  1 , Moses Ocan  2 , Francis Williams Ojara  3 , Sam Nsobya  4 , Charles Okot Odongo  5 , Gordon Odia  6 , Aloysious Lubega  6
Affiliations

Medicinal plants traditionally used for management of malaria in rural communities of Uganda

Lydia Bunalema et al. BMC Complement Med Ther. .

Abstract

Background: Malaria remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas herbal medicines have long been used for disease remedy in many African communities, there is limited evidence on the extent of use, their safety, and efficacy. This study, sought to identify herbal medicinal plants used by communities in low and high malaria transmission settings in Uganda for managing of malaria.

Method: An Ethnobotanical survey was conducted across four geographical regions purposively selected to represent moderate-to-high (Apac, Arua and Tororo districts) and low (Kabale district) malaria transmission settings. One-hundred and two (102) traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) in Ugandan local communities were included in the study. A checklist was used to collect data and covered the following areas; knowledge on malaria transmission, malaria symptoms, diagnosis, medicinal plants used, preparations, preservation methods and doses. Data was analyzed in MS Excel®. Consensus factor, use value metrics and frequencies were calculated.

Results: Ninety-seven plant species distributed across 45 families were mentioned by TMPs in management of malaria in Ugandan communities. Plant family Asteraceae, 15.5% (15/97) had the highest distribution of plants reported by TMPs. Vernonia amygdalina Delile, Aloe vera Burm. F., Artemisia annua L., Vernonia grantii Oliv. and Justicia betonica L. were the most mentioned, with use values of 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.15 and 0.14 respectively. Leaves 64% and root barks 18% were the most harvested plant parts while decoctions (54%) and infusions 26% were the most common methods of preparing herbal products for individuals with malaria. Medicines were stored as dry powders for extended periods although some were prepared as fresh plants. Nearly all medicinal preparations were administered orally with varying dosage (5 ml-500 ml*3times a day) recommendations. Treatment duration varied between 3 and 7 days among practitioners. TMPs mentioned that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes while others, said poor hygiene, stagnant water and body contact.

Conclusion: A diverse number of plant species, use and preparation methods are documented in this study as a way of preserving traditional knowledge in Uganda. Vernonia amygdalina Del., Aloe vera (L) Burm. f, Vernonia grantii Oliv. and Justicia betonica L. were identified as important plant species that can be further studied to validate their safety, antiplasmodial and active bioactive phytochemicals that can provide novel lead compounds for malaria treatment. These plant species can also be conserved through cultivation for sustainable use.

Keywords: Ethnobotanical survey; Malaria; Medicinal plants; Traditional medicine practitioners; Uganda.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study protocol was reviewed and received ethics approval from Makerere University School of Biomedical Sciences’ Research and Ethics Committee (#SBS-2022-213). Clearance to conduct the study in Uganda was granted by the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (#NS431ES). A written informed consent was obtained from each traditional medicine practitioner prior to the interview. The study adhered to ethical principles in the Declaration of Helsinki (2013). Consent of publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of Uganda showing location of study districts, sub counties and villages
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Shows symptoms of Malaria as mentioned by Traditional medicine practitioners and their frequency of mention
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Number of plant spp distributed among different families.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Plant parts used by TMPs for preparation of antimalarial herbal medicine in different parts of Uganda
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Preparation methods used by traditional medicinal practitioners as reported in different parts of Uganda
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