Anticancer Medicinal Plants Used by Residents in the Elgon Sub-region, Eastern Uganda

Abstract

Abstract Background: In Uganda, medicinal plants have been utilized to treat a variety of ailments, including cancer. The anticancer medicinal herbs employed in the Elgon sub-region, however, have only been the subject of a relatively small number of investigations. This study's major objective was to document the anticancer medicinal plants used to treat cancer in the Elgon sub-region of eastern Uganda, with a focus on prostate cancer. Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire that was administered by the researcher, interview guides, and guided field trips were used to collect ethnobotanical data. A number of quantitative indices were assessed, including informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and preference ranking. A descriptive statistical analysis and graphs were produced using SPSS version 21.0 and GraphPad Prism version 8.125 respectively. The narratives were then interpreted using major theories and hypotheses in ethnobotany. Results: A total of 50 plant species from 36 families were documented and herbal knowledge was mainly acquired through inheritance. Most of the plant species revealed in this study belonged to the Fabaceae and Asteraceae families. Hydnora abyssinica A. Br. was mostly recommended by herbalists for prostate, cervical, and breast malignancies. Tylosema fassoglensis was the most favored in regard to its ability to treat all known cancers in the area. The majority were collected from forest reserves (63%); herbal therapies were made from herbs (45%); and were primarily decocted (43%) from leaves (40%). Conclusions: The first 10 most often used plants all had FLI (71), ICF (0.8), and PV (60), values that were quite high, indicating that they are believed to be the most effective in treating the known cancers in this area. Therefore, further study is required to determine the phytochemistry, toxicity, and efficacy of these plants in order to develop a newer anticancer drug.