Medicinal uses and pharmacological activity of Ximenia americana L. - A systematic review

Abstract

Medicinal plants have traditionally been used as remedies for various ailments. Ximenia americana which belongs to the Olacaceae family is one of the plants used in traditional medicine in Africa. However, it is facing threats of extinction due to its use for other purposes like firewood. It is within this context that this review aims at compiling published data on the ethnobotanical status, pharmacological activities and phytochemical profiles of X. americana in the last decade. A web-based literature search was done using scientific databases including Google Scholar and Pub Med, with inclusion criteria of full-length articles reporting on ethno medicinal surveys, pharmacological activities and phytochemical profiles of X. americana in Africa from the year 2010 to 2024. Data was captured in MS excel format and descriptive statistics used to summarize the findings. X. americana is used traditionally for the treatment of several ailments including digestive system infections, injuries, sexually transmitted infections among others. Literature search on pharmacological and phytochemical studies validates the use of X. americana in folklore medicine. The current review findings support the traditional use of X. americana. However, in-depth studies aimed at efficacy and safety evaluation, in addition to identification of the X. americana plant compounds responsible for the reported therapeutic activities is required.