Vol. 3, Issue 11 (2015)

Author(s):
Erhirhie O. Earnest, Moke E. Goodies and Chinwuba Paul

Abstract:
Innovation on new therapeutic agents from natural sources with possible low or absence of toxicity to human is presently ongoing. Cissampelos owariensis (commonly called velvet leaf) is a medicinal plant that originated from Sierra Leone east to Uganda and south to Angola, Zambia and Mozambique. Ethno-medicinally, an infusion of the bitter rhizome, leaves or stems of Cissampelos owariensis is used in the treatment of numerous diseases including; gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhoea, dysentery, colic, intestinal worms), urogenital problems, infertility, abscesses, ulcers, snake bite, headache, among others. It contains tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins. Two compounds, namely   2Hcyclopropa[a]naphthalene-2, 5-dione, 1, 1a, 3, 4, 6, 7, 7a, 7b-octahydro-1, 1, 7a, 7b-tetramethyl, and 1, 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, di-octyl ester had been isolated and identified from it. Reported Pharmacological activities assessed in this present review include; anti-diabetic and anti-microbial activity. However, more experimental studies are required to augment the limited available literatures and also to substantiate the folkloric claim on Cissampelos owariensis.