Table 3.
Tabular summary of the medicinal plants used by the patients and their pharmacokinetic profile.
| Botanical name of medicinal plant (Common/Local name as used by patient) | Number of Patients (%) | Effect on intestinal P-gp or other absorption mechanisms | Effect on cytochromes or other hepatic enzymes (GSTs, ALT, AST) | Other toxic effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernonia amygdalina Delile (Bitter leaf/Onugbu) | 13 (11.6) | Inhibits P-gp efflux activity (Oga et al., 2012) | – | – |
| Ocimum gratissimum L. (Scent leaf/Nchonwu) | 5 (4.5) | Dose dependent increase in AST and ALT levels (Ajibade et al., 2012) | ||
| Musa paradisiaca (Plantain/Banana) | 3 (2.7) | Polyvalent cations in the plant form non-absorbable complexes with certain drugs (Nwafor et al., 2003) | – | – |
| Mangifera indica L. (Mango) | 3 (2.7) | Inhibits the P-gp efflux activity (Chieli et al., 2009) | Inhibits CYP 1A1/2 and 3A4 activities in rat liver microsomes (Rodeiro et al., 2009) | – |
| Persea americana Mill. (Avocado pear) | 2 (1.8) | – | Inhibits CYP 3A4/5/7 enzymes to different extents (Agbonon et al., 2010) | – |
| Gongronema latifolium Benth. (Utazi) | 1 (0.9) | – | – | – |
| Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench (Okro) | 1 (0.9) | Water soluble fractions inhibits metformin absorption in vivo (Khatun et al., 2011) | – | – |
| Anarcadium occidentale L. (Cashew) | 1 (0.9) | – | – | – |
| Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Neem) | 1 (0.9) | – | – | Pharmacotoxic effects of neem oil in lungs and CNS (Gandhi et al., 1988) |
| Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (Tea) | 1 (0.9) | – | – | – |
| Picralima nitida (Stapf) T. Durand and H. Durand (Mkpokiri/Abere) | 1 (0.9) | – | Elevated AST, ALT, and GSH levels (Kouitcheu Mabeku et al., 2008) | Hepatotoxic effects (Fakeye et al., 2004) |
| Terminalia catappa L. (Tropical almond) | 1 (0.9) | – | – | Hepatotoxic at high doses due to punicalagin (Lin et al., 2001) |
| Unknown | 36 (31.9) | NA | NA | NA |
| Discontinued | 14 (12.4) | NA | NA | NA |