A review of ethnopharmacology of the commonly used antimalarial herbal agents for traditional medicine practice in Ethiopia

Malaria is one of the parasitic infections that cause enormous public health, economic, and emotional burden in many tropical and subtropical countries of the world. Resistance of the vector mosquitoes to the current insecticides as well as the emergence of multidrug resistance by malaria parasite to widely used antimalarial drugs has made malaria control and treatment much more difficult. New alternative antimalarial drugs and approaches for mosquito control are urgently required. Ethiopia, as most of the African continent countries, is rich in a wide range of tropical habitats, remarkable biodiversity, and the uses of traditional medicines for treatment of various illnesses. The article thus focuses on review of ethnopharmacological activities (medicinal properties), phytochemistry, and safety (toxicity) of some of the commonly used antimalarial herbal agents in Ethiopia and around which could have significant potential for antimalarial drug discovery and development.