Literature Study on The Potency of Traditional Herbal Medicines in Malaria Treatment

Abstract

Malaria remains a global health challenge due to increasing resistance to conventional antimalarial drugs. This evaluates the antiplasmodial potential of traditional herbal medicines, focusing on their bioactive compounds, mechanisms of action, and therapeutic efficacy. Data were extracted from peer-reviewed literature that evaluated parameters such as IC50 values, parasite suppression rates (the ability of the plant extracts to reduce the number of parasites in the bloodstream), and plant origin. A systematic analysis of 10 medicinal plants revealed that Andrographis paniculata (????50 of 6.36 µg/ml; 60.17% suppression at 5 mg/kg BW) and Caesalpinia crista (????50 of 0.031 µg/ml; 91.9% suppression at 200 mg/kg BW) demonstrated strong activity in both in vitro and in vivo models. This strong activity was attributed to andrographolide and Norcaesalpinin E, respectively. Piper betle and Tithonia diversifolia also exhibited high efficacy and achieved>70% suppression at doses of 200 mg/kg BW. Mechanisms included oxidative stress induction, inhibition of heme detoxification, and immune modulation. However, discrepancies between in vitro potency and in vivo efficacy highlighted bioavailability challenges, particularly for Carica papaya and Curcuma longa. These findings underscore the potential of herbal medicines as complementary therapies and emphasise the need for clinical trials to optimise dosing, formulation, and integration into existing treatment regimens.