Antivenin Plants Used for Treatment of Snakebites in Uganda:Ethnobotanical Reports andPharmacological Evidences

Abstract

Snakebite envenomation, cognizedas a neglected tropical disease,is a dreadpublic health concernwith the most susceptible groups being herdsmen, the elderly, active farmers, hunters, fishers, firewoodcollectors,10 to 14-year old working childrenand individuals with limited access to education and health care.Snakebitesare fragmentarilydocumented in Uganda primarily because most occur in rural settings wheretraditional therapists end up being the first line defence for treatment. Ethnobotanicalsurveys in Ugandahave unveiled that some plants are usedto antagonize the activity of various snakevenoms. This review was sought tocompile the sporadic information on the vegetal speciesreported as antiveninsinUganda. Electronic data indicate that no study entirely reported on antivenin plants in Uganda. A total of77plant speciesbelonging to 65genera,distributed among42botanical families claimed as antiophidic in Uganda are used fortreatment of snakebites. Majority of thesespecies belong to family Fabaceae (30.9%), Euphorbiaceae (14.3%), Asteraceae (11.9%),Amaryllidaceae (9.5%)and Solanaceae (9.5%). The antiophidic species listed areshrubs (40.5%), trees (32.9%) and herbs (17.7%), usually found in the wild and uncultivated.Antivenin extracts areprimarily prepared from roots and leaves, through decoctions, infusions, powders and juicesand administered orally or topically.The most frequently encounteredtherapeutically important speciesareAllium cepa L.,Carica papaya L., Securidaca longipedunculata Fres.,Harrisonia abyssinica Oliv. and Nicotiana tabacum L.Baseline epidemiological data on snake envenomation and antivenin plants in Uganda remain incompletedue to inadequate researchanddiverseethnic groups inthe country.There is adireneedto isolate and characterize the bioactive compounds in the claimed plantstoenable their adroit utilization in handlingthe plagueof snake envenomation. More baseline data should be collected on snake ecology and human behaviour as well as antiveninplantsin Uganda.Indigenousknowledge on the use of plant preparations in traditional medicine in Uganda is humongous,but if this is not quicklyresearched and appropriately documented, indications as to the usefulness of this vegetaltreasure house will be lost in the not so distant future.