ETHNOBOTANICAL USES, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF Turraea floribunda: A REVIEW - Alfred Maroyi (Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 2025)
Turraea floribunda Hochst. is a small to medium-sized tree used as traditional medicine in tropical Africa. This study was aimed at providing a comprehensive review of the ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of T. floribunda. This information was collected from several online databases such as PubMed®, Web of Science, ScienceDirect®, Google Scholar, SpringerLink®, Scopus® and SciELO and pre-electronic literature sources such as books, book chapters and scientific publications obtained from the university library. This study showed that T. floribunda is used as traditional medicine in 53.8% of the countries where the species is indigenous. The traditional medicines prepared from the bark, leaves, roots and stem bark of T. floribunda are used to treat and manage 20 human and livestock diseases and ailments in central, eastern and southern Africa. The phytochemical evaluation of the species revealed that it contains diterpenoids, alkanes, sesquiterpenoids, methyl esters, triterpenoids, fatty acids, esters, fatty alcohols, limonoids, sterols and hydrocarbons. Ethnopharmacological research showed that the crude extracts and phytochemical compounds isolated from T. floribunda have antibacterial, antifungal, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, antiprotozoal, cytotoxicity, insecticidal and larvicidal activities. Detailed studies focusing on toxicological evaluations, in vivo and clinical research aimed at corroborating the traditional medical applications of T. floribunda are recommended.
Keywords: journal article; Mahogany; Meliaceae; traditional medicine; tropical Africa; Turraea floribunda