Evaluation of Medicinal, Chemical and Pharmacological Properties of Hippobromus pauciflorus (L.f.) Radlk. (Sapindaceae Family)

Alfred Maroyi

Hippobromus pauciflorus (L.f.) Radlk. is a small to medium-sized tree widely used in traditional medicine in Southern Africa. The current review provides information on ‘medicinal uses and phytochemical and pharmacological properties of H. pauciflorus. Information on medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties of H. pauciflorus was obtained from online databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus^®, SpringerLink^®, ScienceDirect^®, SciELO and PubMed^®, as well as pre-electronic literature sources obtained from the university library. The current study revealed that the bark, leaves and roots of H. pauciflorus are used against 33 human and animal diseases and ailments. The chemical assessment of the plant species showed that it contains tannins, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, flavonols, amides, diterpene, phenolics, steroids, terpenes, cardiac glycosides and saponins. Pharmacological evaluations showed that the crude extracts of H. pauciflorus exhibited analgesic, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiplasmodial and antipyretic activities. Detailed studies focusing on toxicological evaluations, in vivo and clinical research aimed at corroborating the traditional medical applications of H. pauciflorus are recommended.

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