Antisickling activities of two ethnomedicinal plant recipes used for the management of sickle cell anaemia in Ibadan, Nigeria

Two plant recipes used in the management of Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) by the indigenous people of Ibadan, Nigeria were studied for their antisickling activities. Using methanolic extracts of powdered plant parts, in vitro studies antisickling activities of the extracts were evaluated using p-hydroxybenzoic acids and normal saline as controls. The method employed involved the inhibition of sodium metabisulphite induced sickling of HbSS red blood cells, collected from confirmed non-crises sickle cell patients. Extracts of Recipe 1 (consisting of 28 plants) and 2 (consisting of 7 plants) showed antisickling activities; 63.4 and 78.8% inhibition, respectively, at 180 min incubation. The confirmation of the antisickling activity in the two recipes justifies their use by indigenous people. Phytochemical screening of the extracts showed that they contained similar secondary metabolites except that anthraquinones were absent from Recipe 2.