A Review on Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants/Herbs for Cancer Therapy in Ethiopia: Current Status, Challenge and Future Perspectives

Document Abstract / Summary Overview

Abstract Cancer is a disease which occurs when changes in a group of normal cells within the body lead to uncontrolled growth causing a lump called a tumor; this is true of all cancers except leukemia (cancer of the blood). If left untreated, it leads to death by invading and destroying normal cells. Ethiopia is one of the developing countries which are seriously affected by cancer due to lack of awareness and inaccessible to modern medicine on time. To reduce the severity of this serious problem, about 80% of the population still relay on the traditional medicine as a primary health care modality throughout the country. Even though many plants/herbs have been used by traditional healers of Ethiopian society, many species still await to have scientific evidence of their anticancer activity. The aim of this review is to collect available data about the cancer therapy of medicinal plants/herbs so far studied by ethnobotanical surveys and scientific study in Ethiopia country. It reviews on traditional medicinal plant used by traditional healers within communities of different regional state in Ethiopia country. Out of 65 plants/herbs reviewed in this study, only 30 plants/herbs have been scientifically studied by different researchers at different times for its medicinal value/pharmacological activity against different types of cancer diseases at in vitro stage. The rest still needs further investigation to confirm its biological activity for cancer therapy. In general, this review shows the therapeutic potential of many traditional medicinal plants/herbs that can be used in future to treat varies type of diseases including cancer.