Common Name:

General Information

Maprounea africana is a much or sparingly-branched, deciduous shrub or a tree with pendant branches; it can grow from 1- 10 metres tall. The bark is corky and deeply fissured[, , ].
The plant is a common traditional medicine within its native range in Africa. The root bark, stem bark and leaves are collected and traded locally in market places. Reliable production figures are not available because wild plants are mainly harvested for home consumption and sold at local markets[].

Known Hazards

The root bark is used medicinally as a purgative, even though larger doses can be lethal[, ].

Botanical References

,

Range

Tropical Africa - Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo, DR Congo, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe.

Habitat

Relatively common in savannah and open, deciduous forest, usually on well-drained or dry sandy soils; also found on lakeshore and coastal dunes; escarpments, rocky hillsides; and floodplain grassland, from
sea-level to 1,600 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A fast-growing species[].
The plant regenerates profusely by seed in the wild[].
Trees can be coppiced and pollarded]299].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is widely known for its purgative properties. A macerate of the root bark is taken as a purgative in limited doses, large amounts being lethal. A root decoction is drunk to treat schistosomiasis, venereal diseases, leprosy, amoebic dysentery and syphilis[, ].

Preparations of the roots, bark and leaves are used as an emetic and diuretic[].
The leaves or root bark are chewed and the bitter pulp is swallowed to treat stomach complaints and colic[].

Both stem and root barks, laced with honey or sugar-cane juice, are chewed to treat constipation, ascites and generalized oedema; intestinal worms; female sterility and irregular menstrual cycle. They are also used as a vaginal douche to treat uteritis and vaginitis[, ]. An ointment made from powdered bark in palm oil is applied externally to leprous sores and smallpox sores and to skin infections[, ].

A root bark macerate is taken to treat malaria[].
A root decoction is applied to the eyes to treat infections and the sap is applied to circumcision wounds[].

The leaves are used in a preparation to treat epilepsy. A preparation of the young twigs is taken to relieve constipation[, ]. Sap of the young leaves is drunk, or the pulverized leaves mixed with white clay are eaten, as a remedy for respiratory diseases in children[].
The rolled-up leaves may be placed as a vaginal suppository to treat uteritis and vaginitis[]. Chewed or chopped leaves are applied to decaying teeth to treat toothache[, ].

The root bark contains the pentacyclic triterpenes maprounic acid, maprounic acid acetate and several derivatives, of which some have shown significant activity against P-388 cancer cells in vitro, whereas several other exhibited potent inhibitory activity against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. The compounds were not cytotoxic to cultured mammalian cells[].
The diterpenoid maprouneacin, present in the ethanolic root bark extract, showed potent glucose-lowering properties when given orally[].
Crude methanolic root bark extracts demonstrated a marked antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureusand Streptococcus mutansand also significant antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Candida albicansand Microsporum gypseum. The extracts also showed significant antiamoebic activity in vitro[].
The ethanolic leaf extract induced hypothermia and prolonged the sleeping time when administered orally. It also significantly delayed the onset of induced clonic convulsions, but had no significant effects on induced generalized convulsions or on limbic status epilepticus. Organic root bark extracts also contained the cyclobutenic diterpene bershacolone, koumbalones A and B with a casbane ring system, and oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenes of the cucurbitacin type[].

Other Uses

The twigs are used as a toothbrush[].

The wood is used as fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - should be freshly extracted from the fruit as viability declines rapidly when the seed is stored[]. Rains must follow germination to ensure seedling survival. Plantations can be established by direct sowing or by using nursery-raised seedlings[].
Propagation by stem cuttings is probably feasible[].

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