Southern African traditional herbal medicinal plants used to treat cardiovascular disease and related medical conditions: Traditional use and scientific evidence

Abstract

• Two hundred and thirty-nine plant species were identified to be used traditionally to treat cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). • The compositae is the most well represented family. • High blood pressure was the most frequently mentioned symptom associated with cardiovascular treatment. • Validation studies to confirm the therapeutic properties of these plants against CVDs have been neglected. • The plant species studied the most was Tulbaghia violacea . Multiple plant species are used in traditional southern African medicine to treat cardiovascular diseases. Traditional southern African therapies used to treat cardiovascular diseases were identified and recorded following an extensive review of ethnobotanical books, reviews, and other scientific literature. This was followed by a critical analysis of the validation studies, while highlighting gaps for further investigation. A total of 235 plant species were identified and are itemised herein. Notably, only 45 of these plant species (∼19 %) have been tested in vivo or screened in vitro for any bio-activities relevant to the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The remaining 190 species are yet to be tested in any cardiovascular disease biomarker assay. Additionally, the plant species that have been evaluated for cardiovascular disease-relevant activities have generally only been tested in a single bio-assay model (most frequently ACE inhibition assays). This study highlights the need for further in vitro and in vivo assays in this neglected field of research.