Table 3. Characteristics of known herbs in the Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae families.

Family (n taking)	Scientific Name	Local Names (n taking)	English Name	Taken in Rakai for:	Known Pharmacology	Known Liver Toxicity and/or ART Interaction
Asteraceae (8)	Vernonia amygdalina	Mululuza (4)	Bitter leaf	Fever, fever with jaundice	Contains alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, steroid glycosides, sesquiterpine lactone [32]	Hepatotoxic at high doses (750 mg/kg) [24]. One herb from the Veronia genus (V. lasiopus) was hepatotoxic in an in-vitro rat precision cut liver slice model [33]. Many herbs in the Asteraceae family contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are associated with veno-occlusive liver disease [17]
	Vernonia genus	Kiluluuza (2)
	Microglossa densiflora	Kafugankande, Akafugankande (1)		Fever, indigestion, loose stools, parasites	Microglossa family contains clerodane diterpenoids [34]	A similar herb from the Microglossa family (M. pyrifolia) was hepatotoxic in an in-vitro rat precision cut liver slice model [33]. Many herbs in the Asteraceae family contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are associated with veno-occlusive liver disease [17]
	Aspilia africana	Makaayi (1)	Wild sunflower	Fever with jaundice	Contains saponins, tannins, terpenoids, Sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes [35], [36]	No hepatoxicity in rat in vivo model [38]. Many herbs in the Asteraceae family contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are associated with veno-occlusive liver disease [17]
Fabaceae (6)	Pseudarthria hookeri	Bikakala, Kikakala, Omukakala, Mukakala (4)		Fever, fever with jaundice, allergy, cough, wounds	May have estrogenic activity [37]	Many herbs in the Fabaceae family contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are associated with veno-occlusive liver disease [17]
	Indigofera congesta	Namasumi (2)	Indigo	Fever with jaundice, antenatal health	Indigofera family members contain flavonoids, saponins, quinones, sterols/triterpenes, tannins, gallic acid, caffeic acid, rutin and myricetin [38]	Many herbs in the Fabaceae family contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are associated with veno-occlusive liver disease [17]
Lamiaceae (5*)	Ocimum gratissimum	Mujaaja, Omujaaja (3)	African basil	Epigastric pain	Contains tannin phlobaphenes, flavones, flavonols, xanthones, chalcones, aurones, terpenes, flavononols, leucoanthocyanidins, catechins [39]	Herb from Ocimum genus (O. lamiifolium) was hepatotoxic in an in-vitro rat precision cut liver slice model [33], Ocimum gratissimum caused hepatoxicity in-vivo rabbit liver model [25]
	Hoslundia opposita	Kamunye (3)		To replace blood, postnatal health, vomiting during fever and jaundice	Contains sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene alcohols [40]

^*one patient took both Ocimum gratissimum and Hoslundia oopposita. mg (milligrams), kg (kilograms).