NAME: Alafia barteri
FAMILY: Apocynaceae
COMMON NAMES: Alafia chewing stick, guinea-fowl's crest
LOCAL NAMES: Agbari etu, ota, momunimo, ndambi
USEFUL PART(s): Roots, leaves
GENERAL USES:
The root of the plant can be use as chew-sticks
The fibre from the stems of the plant serves as tying material for roofs etc.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Guinea Bissau
Cameroon
Congo
Sierra Leone
Gabon
Liberia
Nigeria
Togo
Benin
WHY IS IT GREEN?
Alafia barteri medicinal values include:
Sickle cell anaemia
Rheumatic pains
Tooth-ache
Eye infections
Fever
Malaria
Antifungal
FUNFUL FACT
Alafia barteri is an active, climbing shrub which is said to be toxic
FURTHER READINGS
Aiyelaagbe, O. O., Negi, A. S., Hamid, A. A., Luqman, S., Kumar, S. B., & Kaneez, F. (2015). Chemical Constituents from Alafia Barteri Oliv. Leaves with Cytotoxic Activity. Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society, 62(9), 751–755. https://doi.org/10.1002/jccs.201500213
Colegate, S. M., Gardner, D. R., Betz, J. M., Fischer, O. W., Liede-Schumann, S., & Boppré, M. (2016). Pro-toxic 1,2-Dehydropyrrolizidine Alkaloid Esters, Including Unprecedented 10-Membered Macrocyclic Diesters, in the Medicinally-used Alafia cf. caudata and Amphineurion marginatum (Apocynaceae: Apocynoideae: Nerieae and Apocyneae). Phytochemical Analysis, 257–276. https://doi.org/10.1002/pca.2624
Hamid, A. A., Aiyelaagbe, O. O., Kaneez, F., Luqman, S., & Negi, A. S. (2017). Correction to: Isolation, characterization and antiproliferative evaluation of constituents from stem extracts of Alafia barteri Oliv. Hook. F. Medicinal Chemistry Research, p. 1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00044-017-2116-2
Hamid, A. A., Aiyelaagbe, O. O., Negi, A. S., Luqman, S., & Kaneez, F. (2017). New Triterpenoids from the Leaves of Alafia barteri. Chemistry of Natural Compounds, 53(6), 1075–1079. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10600-017-2204-z
Ishola, I. O., Oreagba, I. A., OkekeOgochukwu, N., & Olayemi, S. O. (2015). Analgesic and anti-inflammatory actions of Alafia barteri: Involvement of monoaminergic, nitrergic and opioidergic pathway. Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine, 25(2).
Lasisi, A. A., Olayiwola, M. A., Balogun, S. A., Akinloye, O. A., & Ojo, D. A. (2016). Phytochemical composition, cytotoxicity and in vitro antiplasmodial activity of fractions from Alafia barteri olive (Hook F. Icon)-Apocynaceae. Journal of Saudi Chemical Society, 20(1), 2–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jscs.2012.05.003
Sofidiya, M. O., Imeh, E., Ezeani, C., Aigbe, F. R., & Akindele, A. J. (2014). Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of ethanolic extract of Alafia barteri. Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy, 24(3), 348–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2014.07.013
Wieringa, J. J. (2011). Novitates Gabonenses 70. the advantages of a specimen database: Alafia velutina is a synonym of Farquharia elliptica (Apocynaceae). Blumea: Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Plant Geography, 56(3), 240. https://doi.org/10.3767/000651911X609237