Browsing by Author "Ikiriza, Hilda"

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    Dioscorea bulbifera, a highly threatened African medicinal plant, a review
    (a review, Cogent Biology, 2019) Ikiriza, Hilda; Engeu Ogwang, Patrick; Peter, Emanuel L.; Okella, Hedmon; Umba Tolo, Casim; Muwonge, Abubaker; Mai Abdalla, Ali Abdalla
    Dioscorea bulbifera bulbils are used in the treatment of Piles, dysentery, syphilis, ulcers, cough, leprosy, diabetes, asthma, and cancer. It is a raw material for contraceptives, and it is one of the most consumed yam species especially in West Africa. Unfortunately, this plant is at the verge of extinction because of increased harvest for medicinal purpose. This review aims at providing up-to-date information about its photochemistry, clinical benefits, conservation status and best possible way on how this plant can be conserved for future use. Literature database search was employed, and the findings indicate that much as Dioscorea bulbifera is of diverse clinical and ethnomedicinal benefits, it’s vulnerable to extinction. In order to conserve Dioscorea bulbifera, there is a need to enlighten the local inhabitants on its clinical and commercial importance and uses. Also for the sustainable growth of the plant, the government and Non-governmental agencies have to distribute Dioscorea bulbils to the farmers for planting and also encourage its planting back into the wild. In addition, micropropagation of the D. bulbifera will be the perfect tool for reestablishing the plant in the natural habitat with more advantages of improving growth conditions of the plants.
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    Pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies as an invaluable approach for correct identification of medicinal plants: The case of Artemisia vulgaris L. substituted for Artemisia annua L. in Western Uganda
    (TMR Integrative Medicine, 2023-02-05) Kahwa, Ivan; Chauhan, Nagendra Singh; Omara, Timothy; Asiimwe, John Baptist; Ikiriza, Hilda; Anke, Weisheit; Ogwang, Patrick Engeu
    Different parts of Artemisia vulgaris L. (A. vulgaris) are ethno-medicinally used as an emmenagogue and for the treatment of ailments such as malaria fever, ulcers, and cancer. However, anecdotal evidence shows that the plant is often substituted for Artemisia annua L. (A. annua) by herbalists in Western Uganda due to similarities in their morphology. Misidentification of medicinal plants and mislabelling of herbal products have been incriminated in toxicity and adverse health outcomes in traditional medicine practise. Because safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies, it becomes imperative therefore that medicinal plants should be correctly identified. Methods: This study focused on investigating the macroscopic, microscopic, physicochemical characteristics and phytochemical composition of A. vulgaris leaves compared to A. annua to ease its correct identification. Results: The results showed that there are some colour differences between the leaves of the two species, with a close arrangement of microscopic features but different leaf constants. The leaves of the two Artemisia species had similar tastes, but their shapes and colours (greenish-yellow for A. annua and dark green for A. vulgaris) can be used by the local community to distinguish between them. The artemisinin content was higher in A. vulgaris leaves (1.72 %) than in A. annua (1.43%), but the reverse was observed for the total flavonoid content. Conclusion: This observation could justify the change in the use of A. vulgaris by the indigenous community in western Uganda. Further studies should consider the pharmacognostic comparison of A. annua with other species in the genus Artemisia and the use of molecular techniques such as DNA barcoding.
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    Review of Deforestation in Ugandan Tropical Rainforest Reserves: A Threat to Natural Medicine
    (East African Journal of Environment and Natural Resources, 2022) Nuwagira, Upton; Igga, Yasin; Ikiriza, Hilda
    Deforestation in Ugandan Tropical Rainforest Reserves as threat to natural medicine is still undocumented. In this study, we reviewed literature on deforestation most especially from 1990-2020 in the Tropical Rainforest Reserves. We examine the trend of deforestation, impact of deforestation on medicinal plant species’ and threatened medicinal plant species in the Tropical Rainforest Reserves in Uganda. Secondary data from National Forestry Authority on deforestation (1990-2020) was analysed to determine the trend of forest deforestation while PubMed®, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS databases were also used to provide information on the threatened medicinal plants. Our results show that there has been an annual incredible decline of 17% in the trend of deforestation both in Tropical Rainforest Reserves (low-stocked and well-stocked). The results of the review also noticed a 0.86 strong positive correlation in the decline of both Tropical Rainforest Reserves. This review also documented 13 medicinal plants as the most threatened in the Ugandan Tropical Rainforest Reserves. The medicinal plants in Uganda include Dioscorea bulbifera, Cytropsis articulata, Prunus africana, Warburgia ugandensis, Entandrophragma utile, Irvingia gabonensis, Spathodea campanulate, Aloe ferox, Vernonia amygdalina, Erythrina abyssinica, Moringa oleifera, Hoslundia opposita Vahl and Milicia excelsa. Our study articulates human activities that are affecting medicinal plants include agricultural expansion, timber harvesting, charcoal burning, firewood harvesting, weak forest policies and laws, un clear forest boundaries infrastructure development e.g., roads.