21/02/2022 12:39 Herbal cures for viral haemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis

THE GUARDIAN NIGERIA NEWS - NIGERIA AND WORLD NEWS ›

Annotations

Herbal cures for viral haemorrhagic

fevers, hepatitis
JANUARY 23, 2019

*Pawpaw leaf juice, soursop, neem, Artemisia annua, Avocado, bamboo top
list

The ongoing outbreak of Lassa fever that has gone unabated for more than
thirteen months now has thrown fresh challenges for better and natural
cures and prevention methods.

Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF). Others include: Ebola,

yellow fever, dengue fever and Marburg virus.VHFs are a group of
potentially life threatening infections, which are associated with fever and
bleeding. All VHFs begin gradually with flu-like symptoms that include
fever, muscular aches, and cough. If the disease progresses, abdominal pain,
vomiting, and diarrhea occur. The next stage involves sore throat, muscle
pain, headache, chest pain, nausea and vomiting, facial swelling,
conjunctivitis, or inflammation and swelling of the eyelids and portions of
the eyeballs, and bleeding from the gums, intestinal tract, and other internal
organs. If the disease progresses, individuals may develop temporary or
permanent hearing loss, bleeding from the mouth and nose, blood in the
urine, fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), and brain inflammation
(encephalitis). In late stages, shock, seizures, coma, and death can occur.

https://outline.com/MKNBfK 1/7
21/02/2022 12:39 Herbal cures for viral haemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis

Following the high mortality and morbidity of haemorrhagic fevers,

scientists have intensified search local sourced, easily available and natural
cures. Indeed, re-emerging infectious diseases such as Lassa fever, yellow
fever, Ebola, measles, chicken pox, small pox, Dengue fever, viral hepatitis,
Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), polio, cold and influenza virus,
among others are posing fresh threat to human existence.

Unfortunately, conventional medicines are failing: the pathogens have

developed resistance to the drugs-of-choice. But researchers have in
experimental models treated these deadly bugs with combination of local
herbs and spices.Scientists have validated local foods and spices such as
pawpaw, turmeric, soursop, breadfruit, neem tree, ginger to be effective in
managing viral haemorrhagic fevers and hepatitis C virus.Nigerian
researchers had identified and validated local plants for the treatment of viral
infections.

The plants include: Bambusa vulgaris (bamboo) and Aframomum melegueta

(alligator pepper), Azadirachta indica (neem), Allium cepa (onion), Allium
sativum (garlic), rhizomes of Curcuma longa (turmeric), and Aloe vera,
Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf ), Garcinia kola (bitter kola), Citrus medica
(lemon), Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass), Moringa, Phyllanthus
amarus, avocado (Persea americana), and Gardonema mushroom.

Researchers had also identified asthma herb (Euphorbia hirta), pawpaw

(Carica papaya), bitter melon (Momordica charantia) and guava (Psidium
guajava) extracts as potential ‘cures’ for viral infections.Researchers from
Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, and Kings University, Osun State had
validated antiviral properties of two Nigerian plants- alligator pepper (grains
of paradise) and bamboo.

https://outline.com/MKNBfK 2/7
21/02/2022 12:39 Herbal cures for viral haemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis

The study was published in African Journal of Plant Science.However, a

recent study published in the journal Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
concluded that the juice of Carica papaya (pawpaw) leaves is an effective
herbal therapy for curing the dengue fever.

The study is titled “Leaf Juice of Carica papaya L.: A Remedy of Dengue
Fever.”The results of the study led by Chandra Prakash Kala from the
Ecosystem & Environment Management, Indian Institute of Forest
Management, Madhya Pradesh, India, showed Papaya leaf juice was effective
in curing the dengue fever.

The researchers noted: “As per the medical report of patients the number of
platelets had increased within the prescribed time (24 hours) of drinking leaf
juice of papaya in all five patients of dengue. The increase in number of
platelets varied from patients to patients that ranged from 8000 to 11000.
The dengue patients had reiterated that there was a significant improvement
in their health within 24 hours of taking papaya leaf juice.

“The traditional belief of curing dengue by papaya’s leaf juice had spread
quickly in the highly infected city of New Delhi and suddenly there was a
high demand of papaya leaves. A family in Prem Nagar area of New Delhi
having four trees of papaya when asked pointed out that they were visited by
approx. 110 people within four months from July to October 2010 for the
papaya leaves to cure dengue fever.

“Besides leaf juice of papaya, there are reports indicating that the extract of
some other flowering plant species, such as Vitex negundo, Azadirachta
indica (neem) and Artemisia annua (Chinese salad plant used in making
malaria drug-of-choice Artemisinin Combination Therapy/ACT) contains
properties to work against the viruses. Some lower plant species including
https://outline.com/MKNBfK 3/7
21/02/2022 12:39 Herbal cures for viral haemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis

lichens and algae exhibit inhibitory activity against some type of viruses. It is
suggested that all such plant species need to be scrutinized for their antiviral
properties.”

According to the researchers, out of twenty-two plants reported against

dengue, only four have been studied scientifically. Azadirachta indica, Carica
papaya, Hippophae rhamnoides and Cissampelos pareira extracts were
found effective and demonstrated improvement in clinical symptoms and
direct inhibitory effect on dengue virus.

Carica papaya clinical trial showed increase in platelet count and faster
recovery. These plants may be explored further as probable candidates for
drug discovery against dengue. There is a need to search more such herbal
formulations, which are being practiced at local level, document properly
and validate them scientifically to confirm efficacy, mechanistic action and
safety, before use. The herbal formulations being used by communities are
the low hanging fruits which may provide alternative or adjuvant therapy if
proper validation, value addition and product development steps are
followed.

Interestingly, a researcher, Amaka Ubani, in her presentation on medicinal

plants for treating Lassa fever said documented natural therapies for
hepatitis C virus have been demonstrated to be effective in treating Lassa
fever.

Also, the same conventional drug, ribavirin, is used for the treatment of
Lassa fever and hepatitis C virus. Intravenous ribavirin drastically reduces
deaths from Lassa fever. Ribavirin is a powerful antiviral drug used to treat
chronic hepatitis C infection.

https://outline.com/MKNBfK 4/7
21/02/2022 12:39 Herbal cures for viral haemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis

However, avocado and soursop have shown promise as possible treatments

for hepatitis C virus (HCV).Nigerian researchers in collaboration with their
American and German counterparts investigated extracts and fractions from
five different traditional Nigerian medicinal plants (Jatropha podagrica,
Persea americana (avocado), Annona muricata (soursop), Jatropha multifida,
and Picralima nitida), which are used in Nigerian folk medicine for the
treatment of parasitic infections, cancer and hepatitis.

The study published in African Journal of Pharmaceutical Research &

Development found: “In this preliminary study, it is obvious that A.
muricata is a good candidate for anti HCV agents. “Annona muricata, J.
podagrica and P. americana class has never been evaluated for there anti
HCV activity, interesting activity profile of these extracts and fractions,
opens up a new class of anti HCV metabolites.

“Further purification of these herbal extracts and isolation of the active

metabolites may identify new lead molecules, which could be developed into
anti HCV drugs.” The study is titled “Anti-hepatitis C Virus Activity of five
Selected Endemic Medicinal Plants of Nigeria.”

The researchers from the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry,

University of Benin, Nigeria; Institute of Chemistry, University of Rostock,
Albert Einstein, Rostock, Germany; Department of Pharmacognosy, School
of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, United States
(U.S.); Department of Crop Science, University of Benin, Nigeria; and
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Delta State
University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria, concluded: “In conclusion, we have
demonstrated that the extracts of A. murcata stem and P. americana root
possess a significant inhibitory effect on HCV replication. These results,
showing in particular an interesting anti HCV activity, confirm the
https://outline.com/MKNBfK 5/7
21/02/2022 12:39 Herbal cures for viral haemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis

relevance of the investigation on the therapeutic potential of plants used by

rural communities.”

According to the researchers, it is worthy to note that traditional medical

practitioners have achieved success with the use of these plants as remedies
against hepatitis. Jatropha podagrica is known locally in southwestern
Nigeria as lapalapa funfun. It is widely distributed in different parts of
Nigeria, and is used in folk medicine to treat various diseases including
parasitic skin infections and hepatitis. Different parts of the plant have been
investigated chemically and many compounds including flavonoids,
steroids, alkaloids and diterpenoids have been isolated from this plant and
related species.

Picralima nitida has widely varied applications in Nigerian folk medicine as

antipyretic, antimalarial, anti-trypanocidal, anti-lesishmanial and anti-
parasitic. Jatropha multifida otherwise known as coral bush is a fast growing
evergreen shrub or small tree. The roots, stems, leaves, seeds and oil of the
plant have been widely used in African folk medicine for the treatment of
oral candidiasis, viral diseases, gonorrhea, fever, as purgative and for wounds
and skin infections.

https://outline.com/MKNBfK COPY

Annotations · Report a problem

Outline is a free service for reading and annotating

news articles. We remove the clutter so you can
analyze and comment on the content In today’s
https://outline.com/MKNBfK 6/7
21/02/2022 12:39 Herbal cures for viral haemorrhagic fevers, hepatitis
analyze and comment on the content. In today s
climate of widespread misinformation, Outline
empowers readers to verify the facts.

H O M E · T E R M S · P R I VAC Y · D M C A · CO N TAC T

https://outline.com/MKNBfK 7/7