Browsing by Author "AGORO, AGNES."

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    ETHNOBOTANICAL PLANTS USED FOR MANAGEMENT OF MALARIA BY PEOPLE OF SERERE DISTRICT, EASTERN UGANDA
    (Gulu University, 2026-10-26) AGORO, AGNES.
    Malaria remains a significant public health burden worldwide despite the availability of control options recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2023). WHO African Region accounted for 93.6% of global malaria cases and 95.4% of malaria deaths in 2022 (WHO, 2023), Uganda was one of the bigger contributors to the high number of cases. This high malaria burden coupled with Uganda’s widespread reliance on traditional healthcare (60%) (WHO, 2017), underscores the need to evaluate medicinal plants for management of malaria. This study therefore surveyed and documented plant species used for management of malaria as well as the antiplasmodial activity of extracts from some of the commonly used medicinal plants in Serere district. A cross-sectional survey (involving 362 participants) and a completely randomized experimental design (involving antiplasmodial in vitro tests) were used between January to June, 2025. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to the participants. Later on, three species mostly cited were tested for some important phytochemicals and antiplasmodial activity. Analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics software version 26.0. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also used to compare the mean percentage parasitaemia between the different extract treatments and the controls (negative and positive) at each time point. Dose response curve fitting using Graph pad Prism software was done to determine the 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of the extracts.55 plant species were documented to be used for management of malaria, the most commonly used species were Zanthoxylum chalybeum (18.09%) followed by Dolichandra unguis-cati (12.29%) and Nauclea latifolia (8.85%). The concoctions were prepared by; cleaning the harvested part, pounding then boiling and majorly taken orally. In terms of phytochemicals, alkaloids, phenolics, tannins and coumarins were found in the roots of the three plant species analysed. Zanthoxylum chalybeum exhibited the most promising antiplasmodial activity (P value).This study has shown that many plant species are used for management of malaria in Serere district and have antiplasmodial potency. This calls for bioassay-guided fractionation of Zanthoxylum chalybeum, Dolichandra unguis-cati and N. latifolia, standardized preparation methods and further research studies on these plant species.