Medicinal plants have a long track record of use in history, and one of them is Commiphora myrrh which is commonly found in the southern part of Arabia, the northeastern part of Africa, in Somalia, and Kenya. Relevant literatures were accessed via Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to give updated information on the phytochemical constituents and pharmacological action of Commiphora myrrh. It has been used traditionally for treating wounds, mouth ulcers, aches, fractures, stomach disorders, microbial infections, and inflammatory diseases. It is used as an antiseptic, astringent, anthelmintic, carminative, emmenagogue, and as an expectorant. Phytochemical studies have shown that it contains terpenoids (monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, and volatile/essential oil), diterpenoids, triterpenoids, and steroids. Its essential oil has applications in cosmetics, aromatherapy, and perfumery. Research has shown that it exerts various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, analgesic, anti-parasitic, and recently, it was found to work against respiratory infections like COVID-19. With the advancement in drug development, hopefully, its rich phytochemical components can be explored for drug development as an insecticide due to its great anti-parasitic activity. Also, its interactions with drugs can be fully elucidated.This review highlights an updated information on the history, distribution, traditional uses, phytochemical components, pharmacology, and various biological activities of Commiphora myrrh. Graphical abstract Graphical summary of the phytochemical and pharmacological update of Commiphora myrrh

Medicinal plants are the primary raw materials used in the production of medicinal products all over the world. As a result, more study on plants with therapeutic potential is required. The tropical tree Ziziphus spina belongs to the Rhamnaceae family. Biological reports and traditional applications including management of diabetes and treatment of malaria, digestive issues, typhoid, liver complaints, weakness, skin infections, urinary disorders, obesity, diarrhoea, and sleeplessness have all been treated with different parts of Z. spina all over the globe. The plant is identified as a rich source of diverse chemical compounds. This study is a comprehensive yet detailed review of Z. spina based on major findings from around the world regarding ethnopharmacology, biological evaluation, and chemical composition. Scopus, Web of Science, BioMed Central, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Springer Link, and Google Scholar were searched to find published articles. From the 186 research articles reviewed, we revealed the leaf extract to be significant against free radicals, microbes, parasites, inflammation-related cases, obesity, and cancer. Chemically, polyphenols/flavonoids were the most reported compounds with a composition of 66 compounds out of the total 193 compounds reported from different parts of the plant. However, the safety and efficacy of Z. spina have not been wholly assessed in humans, and further well-designed clinical trials are needed to corroborate preclinical findings. The mechanism of action of the leaf extract should be examined. The standard dose and safety of the leaf should be established.

Background: Malaria is a major health burden among populations with poor economic status in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Ineffective cost of drugs, multi-drug resistance of malaria parasites and inadequate health facilities are the major factors responsible for high mortality rates in these regions. These has prompted the need to identify new, efficient, safe and cheap drugs. This study was carried out to collect and document information on medicinal plants and how they are traditionally applied in the treatment of malaria in Kafin Hausa. Methods: Questionnaires were used for data collection by means of oral interview. Analysis of data collected was done using ethnobotanical indices. Results: Forty-three (43) respondents were interviewd and 15 plant species were mentioned. The plants were classified into 12 families with Buseraceae having the largest number of species. Senna occidentalis had the highest RFC (75.7%). Boswellia dalzielii, Boswellia serrata, Azadirachta indica and Vitex doniana all had fidelity level of 100%. Informant consensus factor of 0.87 was recorded. Literature search on antimalarial activities of the medicinal plants mentioned, showed that extracts from these medicinal plants had IC50 values ranging from 2.3 - <50 μgml-1, while isolated compounds from some of the mentioned plants had IC50 values between 0.7 - 24 μgml-1. Conclusion: This research has provided background data on the medicinal plants traditionally employed for malaria treatment in Kafin Hausa. These findings could serve as a basis for the advancement of pharmacological studies on these medicinal plants with emphasis on safety, standardization and dosage. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Malaria, Kafin Hausa, Nigeria

Favipiravir is a potential antiviral drug undergoing clinical trials to manage various viral infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Favipiravir possesses antiviral properties against RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Unfortunately, these viruses do not have vaccines or authorized antiviral drugs for the management of diseases resulting from their infection, hence the dire need to accentuate the discovery of antiviral drugs that are efficacious and have a broad spectrum. Favipiravir acts primarily by blocking inward and outward movements of the virus from cells. Favipiravir is a prodrug undergoing intracellular phosphorylation and ribosylation to form an active form, favipiravir-RTP, which binds viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Considering the novel mechanism of favipiravir action, especially in managing viral infections, it is vital to pay more attention to the promised favipiravir hold in the management of SARS-CoV-2, its efficacy, dosage regiment, and interactions with other drugs. In conclusion, favipiravir possesses antiviral properties against RNA viruses, including COVID-19. Favipiravir is effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection through inhibition of RdRp. Pre-clinical and large-scalp prospective studies are recommended efficacy and long-term safety of favipiravir in COVID-19.

Diabetes is a widely spread disorder that disturbs humans in the underdeveloped as well as the developed countries worldwide. The figure of those people suffering from the disease is shooting up specifically in Nigeria. A study of traditional plant use was carried out to formalize common herbal plants already in use for the management of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in Hadejia town, Jigawa state, Nigeria. Formal meetings were organised to document details about the medicinal plants used in the treatment of DM and their topical names, methods of preparation/administration, plant parts in use, and the demographic characteristics of the interviewees in the study. Sixty (60) participants were interviewed, of which 45% were within the age group of 31-40 years, 38.3% were within the age group of 41-50 years, while 10% were within the age group of 51-60 years. Most of the participants were married (91.6%), male (71.6%), farmers (23.3%) and traditional medicine practitioners (26.6%). Further, half (50%) of the participants were attending Islamic schools; some were not having a formal education with a percentage of (33.3%). Also, fifteen (15) plants which belong to 12 families were documented as being used for the management of DM in Hadejia town. The families Amaryllidaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, and Combretaceae, were the highly pronounced families in this research, while leaves, stem bark, and roots were the most commonly used plant parts. A high level of consensus was observed (0.67) among the participants. This work was carried out in order to provide background data on the herbal plants in use traditionally for the management of DM in the study area.