A Comprehensive Review of the Pharmacological, Toxicological and Phytochemical Properties of Parkia biglobosa

Abstract

Parkia biglobosa is a plant widely used in traditional African medicine. It has been the subject of several studies aimed at gaining a better understanding of the species, formalizing its medicinal uses, and developing its potential. The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date summary of the available scientific knowledge on this plant in order to identify research opportunities and better guide the development of innovative herbal medicines. It is based on a literature review conducted on various websites, such as Scopus, Google Scholar, Elsevier, Science Direct, Web of Science, SciFinder, BMC, Open-thesis, ResearchGate, Research4Life, and PubMed. In addition, searches were carried out directly on Google. The results of the study demonstrated that, from a pharmacological perspective, the efficacy of the various parts of the plant has been corroborated by several authors. In particular, the study highlights the antimicrobial activity of the leaves, stem bark, and roots; the antidiabetic action of the fermented seeds; the antihypertensive properties of the leaves, stem bark, and fermented seeds; and the anthelmintic effect of the seeds and leaves. From a toxicological perspective, various studies have indicated that the plant does not cause acute toxicity up to a dose of 5 000 mg/kg body weight. However, toxicological data on the species are lacking, particularly regarding issues such as mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, long-term toxicity, and so on. It is therefore essential to conduct further toxicological analysis of the plant to ensure its safety for use in herbal preparations.