Evaluation of plants used for antimalarial treatment by the Maasai of Kenya

Semi-structured interviews with three Maasai herbalists led to the identification and collection of 21 species of plants used to treat malaria. Extracts were evaluated using in vitro antimalarial and cytotoxicity assays. Of the species tested, over half were antiplasmodial (IC 50 < 10 μg/ml), and all but one ( Gutenbergia cordifolia Benth.) displayed selectivity for the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum as indicated by a lack of cytotoxicity (ED 50 > 20 μg/ml) against cultured KB cells. The results of this preliminary investigation support the traditional knowledge of Maasai herbalists and justify ethnomedical inquiry as a promising method, specifically, in antimalarial therapy, to yield leads for drug discovery.