Ethnopharmacological Characteristics of Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw.) Warb. (Myristicaceae), a Plant Used in the Traditional Treatment of Viral and Parasitic Diseases

Background: Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw.) Warb. (Myristicaceae) is a medicinal plant used in traditional Ivorian medicine. A recent ethnobotanical survey has discovered Pycnanthus angolensis in the traditional treatment of viral and parasitic diseases.

Aim: The present study aims to highlight the distinctive ethnopharmacological characteristics of Pycnanthus angolensis.

Methods: The aim was to identify some groups of chemical compounds by thin layer chromatography, to assay some minerals and finally to characterise the specific anatomical and micrographic features of the plant.

Results: Terpenes and sterols, saponosides, flavonoids and tannins are the main phytocompounds revealed. Magnesium with 621.3 mg/100 g dry matter is the most abundant mineral. Anatomical sections and plant powder revealed starch grains, calcium oxalate crystals, secretory pockets and tector hairs that are responsible for the formation of various biological substances in the plant.

Conclusion: These results add to the data on Pycnanthus angolensis, a taxon much used in traditional Ivorian medicine for the treatment of antiparasitic and antiviral diseases.