Medicinal Plants Used against Snakebite Envenomation in Cameroon: Ethnobotanical Evidence, Research Gaps and Perspectives

Abstract

Tropical countries harbor the majority of the world's venomous snakes. The medicinal plants used for the treatment of snakebite are rare due to inaccessibility in hospitals and poor storage facilities for Antivenom. The review synthesises knowledge on antivenom plants of Cameroon and provides a critical analysis of gaps and future research avenues for the valorisation of these plants, which constitutes an encouraging and promising alternative in the management of snakebite treatment in Cameroon. The Google search engine was consulted, using keywords such as "snakes in Africa", "snakes in traditional practices", "anti-snake venom activity", "anti-snake activity", "ethnobotany", "medicinal plants" and "snake bite" in Cameroon. A review of scientific articles on plants used to treat snake envenomation Articles, books, reports and others scientific documents on ethnobotany, ethnobiology, pharmacology and ethnomedicine related to the antivenom domain were was undertaken to identify information on traditional knowledge of medicinal, consulted and reviewed with regard to the antivenom activity of plants. A total of 21 species belonging to 15 families were identified. The common botanical families were Asteraceae (19%), Apocynaceae (9%), Burseraceae (9%) and Rubiaceae (9%). Different morphological types were used against snakebites. The most represented botanical types was grasses 38%, follow by trees (33%), shrubs (24%) and lianas (5%). The various plant organs used as antivenins include leaves (43%), bark (24%), roots or bark (9%), leaves or flowers (9%), bark and leaves (5%), leaves or stems (5%) and fruit or barks (5%). Decoction, powder and maceration were the most commonly used extraction methods. The type of administration varies with the species of plants. Oral administration of plant extract, which is the product of decoction, maceration, infusion or trituration, was the most commonly used method of administration. The knowledge of these antivenom plant species will be useful to the population in the event of snake bites and can constitute a basic data to the scientific community which can permit to improve research on the degree of their toxicity.