A Review: Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Investigations of Lannea welwitschii (Hiern) Engl.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Lannea welwitschii (Hiern) Engl. (Synonyms: Calesiam welwitschii, Lannea acidissima, Lannea amaniensis), of the family Anacardiaceae is a woody plant that is employed in African traditional medicine to treat various diseases. The study aimed to highlight the folkloric importance, phytochemical composition and reported pharmacological activities of L. welwitschii.

Materials and Methods: Google Scholar, Excerpta Medica database and PubMed Central, were the electronic databases used to search for and filter published research on Lannea welwitschii.

Results: The review comprehensively summarizes relevant data from published literature on the ethno-botanical uses of L. welwitschii within the last five decades. This comprehensive review on the phytochemical, pharmacological as well as the toxicological studies conducted has given an indication of the potential of this plant as phytotherapeutic agent or a source of lead compound(s).

Conclusion: This review might be helpful in identifying future research prospects aimed at isolation, purification, and characterization of bioactive compounds present in the plant as well as exploring the underlying pharmacological mechanisms of action.