Inventory of plants used in the treatment of viral diseases, sold on markets in the district of Abidjan

This survey, which took place in the midst of the Covid 19 global health crisis, was conducted on medicinal plants used in the traditional treatment of the most common viral diseases in Côte d'Ivoire. The aim was to inventory the plant species sold and collect ethnopharmacological data related to these plants.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with herbalists in nine markets in the district of Abidjan. The information collected was processed using SPSS 17.0 computer and statistical software. This study revealed that shingles, yellow fever and chickenpox are the viral diseases for which there are more traditional remedies. A total of 61 species of antiviral medicinal plants distribued in 59 genera and 54 botanical families were identified. Fabaceae (14.75 %), Asteraceae (9.8 %), and Apocynaceae (9.8 %) are the most represented families. Six species are most commonly used in the treatment of viral diseases. They are, in decreasing order of frequency of use: Ocimum gratissimum, Citrus aurantiifolia, Spondias mombin, Allium sativum, Gymnanthemum amygdalinum, Kalanchoe crenata. The leaves are the most used parts, in the form of a decoction (73.84 %). This is consistent with the predominance of the beverage (39.62 %) as a form of use and the oral route of administration (42 %).

 This study, which allowed the collection of ethnomedicinal data, is positioned as an orientation in the search for effective active ingredients against emerging ET re-emerging viral diseases.