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Background. Ethnobotanical knowledge on four herbaceous species, Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass., Momordica charantia L., Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn., and Scoparia dulcis L., in Benin was investigated. Methods. Herbal medicine traders in six different markets were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The linear regression test was performed to check for the influence of respondent’s age on ethnobotanical uses they hold. Relative frequency citation, fidelity level, use value, and Rahman similarity index were calculated to assess the diversity of medico-magic knowledge. The Informant Consensus Factor is not applicable in this study since we are dealing neither with the diversity of medicinal plants used by a community of people nor with a great number of plant species used for medicinal purposes, nor the diversity of plant species used in the treatment of a specific or group of ailments. Results. The respondent's age did not influence the ethnobotanical uses they hold on the species. All thirty-six informants surveyed traded Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn., Momordica charantia L., and Scoparia dulcis L., and the majority traded Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass. The respondent's age does not influence the diversity of ethnobotanical uses they hold on the study species. Purchase in traders’ own markets was the predominant source of Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn., Momordica charantia L., and Scoparia dulcis L. while Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass. was mostly purchased in other more distant markets. A noticeable proportion of traders also collect Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. and Momordica charantia L. from wild populations. Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. was the species most demanded by customers followed by Momordica charantia L. Traders confirmed the scarcity of all species in recent years and climate change and destruction of natural habitats for logging were the most cited causes. The entire plant of Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. was used mainly to treat malaria, diabetes, and constipation, and decoction with oral administration was the most frequent preparation for malaria treatment. To treat diabetes, informants mixed Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. with Momordica charantia L. used as a decoction with oral administration. Momordica charantia L. was also used to treat measles and chicken pox. Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass. and Scoparia dulcis L. were mostly used for their spiritual use for luck, predominantly by chewing fresh leaves or flowers, and by bathing with the ground plant mixed with soap, respectively. Overall, Momordica charantia L. had the greatest use value followed by Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. The majority of traders do not plant the species. Conclusions. The harvesting and trade of the species threaten their natural populations and urgent tools, including in situ and ex situ conservation, are needed to ensure their long-term sustainable exploitation.

Medicinal plants are rich sources of natural antioxidant which are used in the prevention and treatment of disease like artherosclerosis, heart stroke, diabetes and cancer and to delay the process of aging. Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass is an edible herb traditionally used in the treatment of many diseases. Analysis of volatile components in the flower extract used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed the main components of the essential oil were caryophyllene (21.27%), caryophyllene oxide (15.49%), and 3-carene (10.73%). The main components of the hexane extract were N-isobutyl-2E,6Z,8E-decatrienamide (37.80%), α-pinene (4.98%) and hexadacanoic acid-methyl ester (4.78%). The antioxidant activity of A. uliginosa (Sw.) Cass flower from Indonesia was determined using 1,1, diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazine (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. The IC50 (defined as the total antioxidant necessary to decrease the initial DPPH radical by 50%) of extracts was calculated. A comparative study determined that A. uliginosa (Sw.) Cass in methanol extract showed higher antioxidant potential (IC50 = 96.83 μg/mL) compared to ethyl acetate extract (IC50 = 123.46 μg/mL) and n-hexane extract (905.92 μg/mL) against DPPH free radicals.

Background: The flower of Acmella uliginosa (AU) (Sw.) Cass., a naturally grown herb in India, is consumed as a natural painkiller for its notable analgesic properties. Objective: The objective of the study was to establish the role of AU flower methanolic extract in antinociception and its neuromodulatory activities to assess any disadvantage of the drug akin to opioids. Materials and Methods: In experimental rats, plant flower extracts were fed at a dose of 100 mg and 200 mg/kg body weight (BW) for 14 days. Analgesic activity was evaluated through formalin-induced paw licking test. T-maze, novel object recognition (NOR), and rotarod tests were done to assess the role of the extract in memory alteration and neuromotor coordination, respectively. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), reduced glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity from the brain homogenates were done to assess the induced oxidative stress. Results: The plant proved to be a promising analgesic when fed orally up to 200 mg/kg BW dose. No acute toxicity was seen up to 1000 mg/kg. In the T-maze test, extract-fed animals showed a reduction in food searching time. In NOR test, the discrimination index between new and familiar objects was high in extract-fed animals compared to standard group. In rotarod test, the extract did not alter the neuromotor coordination. AChE, GSH, and SOD activities were normal in extract-treated animals. Conclusion: Memory alteration and oxidative stress are two major drawbacks associated with opioid drugs. Our results indicate that the AU flower methanolic extract qualifies as a potent painkiller and overcomes the disadvantages of opioid analgesics.

Background Acmella uliginosa (Asteraceae) is a flowering plant whose leaves are consumed as a vegetable in Benin. They are also traditionally used as an antibiotic in the treatment of infectious diseases. To evaluate the therapeutic potential and toxicity effect of this leafy-vegetable, the antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant activities and, toxicity and phytochemical constituents were investigated. Methods Dichloromethane, methanol and aqueous extracts of Acmella uliginosa were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against six bacterial and six fungi strains. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were investigated by microdilution method and agar diffusion method respectively. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl assay and phytochemical screening was carried out using standard procedures. Finally, oral acute toxicity at a dose of 2000 mg/kg was done according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guideline n° 423. Results The antibacterial activity was broad spectrum, inhibiting both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration ranged from 0.625 to 5 mg/ml. The antifungal evaluation show that all the extracts inhibited mycelial growth and sporulation of fungi with percentages of inhibition ranging from 9.39 to 75.67 % and 22.04 to 99.77 %, respectively. In DPPH radical scavenging assay, the effect on reducing free radicals increased in a dose dependent manner. The percentage of inhibition of DPPH ranged from 0.94 to 73.07 %. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of coumarin, flavonoid, naphtoquinone, anthracene derivative, saponin, lignan, triterpene and tannin. The dichloromethane and methanol extracts showed the best biological activities; they were also shown as the best extraction solvents of phytochemicals. In the acute toxicity evaluation, all animals were physically active and no deaths of rats were observed during the test. However, the aqueous extract promoted biochemical, hematological and histopathological alterations of treated rats at 2000 mg/kg body weight. Conclusion A. uliginosa extracts contains antimicrobial, antioxidant agents and was not lethal for rats when ingested. However, according to the results obtained for biochemical, hematological, and histopathological analysis, caution is required regarding its consumption.