Description:
Newbouldia laevis (P. Beauv.) Seem. (Family, Bignoniaceae), commonly known as tree of life, is
a purple-flowering plant that is widely distributed in many parts of Africa. Different parts of the
plant, including the leaves, flower, stems and roots are prevalently used in African traditional
medicine for the management of many diseases and conditions like diabetes, hypertension,
skin diseases, ulcer, tumors, pains, infectious diseases, inflammation, dysentery, sickle cell
disease and impotency. This review discusses the trado-medical uses, chemical constituents, and
biological activities of N. laevis. Based on information generated from scientific investigations
deposited in PubMed and SCOPUS, the chemical constituents of the plant include glycosides,
anthraquinolones, volatile oils, tannins, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids and sterols.
Extracts prepared from different parts of the plant of the plant and compounds isolated from them
have been reported to have several health-promoting potentials such as antioxidant, antimalarial,
trypanocidal, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiarthritic, anti-thrombotic, cytoprotective, anti-hypertensive, central nervous system modulatory,
male reproduction enhancing and oxytocic properties. These scientific investigations have led
credence to the ethnobotanical uses of the plant in folkloric practice. In addition, the presence of
phytochemical constituents in the plant might be responsible for the wide biological potentials.
URL:
http://103.158.96.210:88/web_repository/uploads/ps-28-51.pdf
Type:
Journal
Document:
Diploma III Farmasi
Date:
23-06-2024
Author:
Innocent U. Okagu