Plantes

Scientific nameMonodora myristica
Common namesGuinea pepper, Negro pepper, Ethiopian pepper etc.
Common nameCalabash nutmeg
Local names 
FamilyAnnonaceae
DescriptionTree or shrub 3.6-30m tall, with trunk up to 1m in diameter fissured at the base, bark grey, vertically corrugated with rounded ridges.
HabitatA tropical shrub of the Annonacece or custard apple family of flowering plants.
Part used 
Season 
Active ingredients 
UsesUsed as spice and condiment. The root is chewed to relieve toothaches and athritis. The seeds are used to relieve anemia, haemorrhids, sexual weakness, and wounds.

Scientific nameAframomum meleguet
Common namesGrains of paradise, Alligator pepper and melegueta pepper
Common name 
Local namesFam wusa (Twi), Ataku (Ewe)
FamilyZingiberaceae
DescriptionA tufted leafy herbaceous plant up to 2m high, leaves are distichously arranged etc.

HabitatIt is cultivated in forest regions in farms and home gardens. Its matured dried fruit and seeds are sold in the markets.
Part used 
Season 
Active ingredientsOleoresins (volatile oil contains paradols, gingerols and shogaols).

Usesit is an aromatic stimulant, for treatment of coughs and bronchitis, anti-rheumatic, for dyspepsia, also used as an adjuvant. Used in Japan as aphrodisiac.

Scientific nameAdansonia digitata
Common names 
Common nameBaobab
Local namesAdzido (Ewe), alagbatsi, Télou (Tem, Kotokoli)
FamilyBombacaceae
DescriptionIt is a big savannah tree growing up to 30m with trunk base.

HabitatIt is found in hot, dry savannah growing in solitary individualism.
Part usedBark, fruit pulp, seed, leaves.
Season 
Active ingredientsHas twice much calcium as milk, antioxidants, iron and potassium, has 6times the vitamin C of an orange, sugars.
UsesThe leaves are potherbs and eaten as relish. Fruit used as beverage. Seed produce edible oil. Baobab fruit used as ingredient in smoothies and cereal bars Bark

Scientific nameMaytenus senegalensis
Common names 
Common name 
Local namesClaromapka (Ewe), fõtchõvõwou (Tem, Kotokoli)
FamilyCelastraceae
DescriptionIt can reach a height of 16 meters The trunk is straight, the tree can go up to 16 meters, the branches are flexible, drooping, red or gray-green, and the bark gray, hard, thick and grooved vertically. It can be thorny, the thorns then from 1 to 5 cm. Its oval, flexible and fleshy leaves are 3 to 12 cm long with a generally pink central vein. They are either grouped or alternate. The peduncle is short. The fragrant flowers are creamy white and densely cover the tree. They give green, then red, round fruits up to 6 mm in diameter. These fruits give 1 seed of a shiny brown red, half are covered with a soft white aril.
HabitatIt is present in North Africa, from Somalia to Senegal, in South Africa and Madagascar, in the Canary Islands, as well as in the extreme south of the Iberian Peninsula.  
Part usedLeaves, bark, fruit, seeds, roots
Season 
Active ingredients 
UsesIt is used as firewood, charcoal, fodder (leaves), living or dry defense (thorny branches), roofing material for local dwellings. From a drug perspective, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, roots are use in decoction, powder or juice for treatment of injuries, diarrhea, cough, cold, sore throat, …

Scientific nameKigelia africana
Common names 
Common nameSausage tree
Local namesNufuten
FamilyBignoniaceae
DescriptionIt is a short, squat trunk, has light brown, sometimes flaky bark and supports a dense rounded to spreading crown (18m high) etc.
HabitatIt is found near riverbanks and a times planted on roadside.
Part used 
Season 
Active ingredientsIridoids and naphthoquinones: Naphthoquinones (including kigelinone). Monoterpenoids – nepthaquinones (pinnata), isocoumarins (including kigelin), lignans (kigeliol), sterols (including bêta-sitosterol and stigmaterol), and flavonoids (including quercetin and luteolin)
UsesFolkore (Uses): Rheumatism, snakebites, evil spirits, and even tornadoes. Used in making alcoholic beverage similar to beer, fresh fruit poisonous and strongly
purgative; fruits are prepared for consumption by drying, roasting or fermentation. It is an ornamental tree.
Orthodox (Uses): Anti-inflammatory, skin ailments, from fungal infections, boils, psoriasis, and eczema, leprosy, Syphilis and Skin Cancer. It has also internal application including the treatment of dysentery, tapeworm, ringworm, post-partum hemorrhaging, diabetes, malaria, pneumonia and toothache. The leaves are important livestock fodder. Fruit is
aphrodisiac.

Scientific nameDatura stramonium
Common names  Thorn apple, Jimson weed
Common nameThorn apple
Local names 
FamilySolanaceae
Description 
Habitat

 
Part used 
Season 
Active ingredientsTropane alkaloids, hyoscyamine and scopolamine

UsesUsed as hallucinogen

Scientific namePhysostigma venenosum
Common names   
Common nameCalabar Beans
Local names 
FamilyPapilionaceae
Description 
Habitat 
Part usedSeed
SeasonMay – June
Active ingredientsTropane alkaloids, hyoscyamine and scopolamine

UsesControls glaucoma, Adie’s syndrome, Mana Myasthenia Gravis.lmproves Memory in Alzheim disease. It serves as antidote to atropine poisoni and other anti- depressant

Scientific nameZingiber officinale
Common names   
Common nameGinger
Local namesDote (Ewe), Atarara (Tem, Kotokoli)
FamilyZingiberaceae
DescriptionGinger is a tropical herbaceous perennial about 0.90 m tall from a rhizome. The evergreen leaves are lanceolate, bier, long and fragrant. The flowers are white and yellow, punctuated with red on the lips, the bracts are green and yellow. Fresh and Sun Dried ginger
HabitatIt is found in tropical zone
Part usedrhizome
SeasonAll the year
Active ingredients 
UsesUsed as spice in food, drunk as juice. From a drug perspective, ginger shows antiemetic properties. It is used for motion sickness, postoperative nausea, to protect gastric mucosa. It lowers cholesterol, blood triglycerides, fatty acids and phospholipids  

Scientific nameHibiscus sabdariffa
Common names  Hibiscus, Sudanese rose, roselle, bissap
Common name 
Local namesSooboro, bissap
FamilyMalvaceae
Descriptionit is an annual or perennial herb or wood based sub-shrub, growing to 2-2.5m tall, the leaves are deeply three to five-lobed etc.

Habitatcultivated in the savannahs in the North of Togo and
Burkina Faso.
Part usedFlowers
SeasonJuly – October
Active ingredientsIt contains around 49 calories 1.9 protein, a total of 12.3g carbohydrates, 14mg ascorbic acid and many other organic compounds. Vitamin C, anthocyanins, protocatechuic acid, flavonoids (gossypetin, hibiscetine and sabdaretine, daphniphylline. Small amount of myrtillin, chrysanthenin and
delphinidin.

UsesFolklore (Uses): diuretic, mild laxative, for treatment of cardiac and nerve diseases and cancer. Orthodox (Uses): Treats hypertension and urinary tract infections, beneficial to the principal organs of the human body. These are the cardiovascular, nervous and the digestive system including the kidney. It is useful in, Arteriosclerosis as an intestinal antiseptic. Seeds are aphrodisiac. The leaves are medicinally emollient used as diuretic, refrigerant and sedative. It again strengthens the body’s defensive capability against negative influences promoting metabolism and destroying most disease prone micro-organisms. It could be used as natural dewormer. As a tea beverage, the addition of critic acid or lemon results in obtaining a pleasant taste and stimulating the production of Bile that helps the liver to perform its digestive functions.


Scientific nameCola nitida
Common names 
Common nameCola nuts
Local namesGoro (Ewe, Tem, Kotokoli)
FamilySterculiaceae
DescriptionThe cola nut tree is an evergreen tree cultivated in the forest and high savannah areas. It takes between 7 to 8 years to fruit.

HabitatCould be found in the wild in the forest and high savannah.
Part usedNut
SeasonOctober – February
Active ingredients 
UsesThe kola nut has a bitter flavor and contains caffeine. It is chewed in many West African cultures, individually or in a group setting. It is often used ceremonially, presented to tribal chiefs or presented to guests.

It is preferred among African Muslims, who are forbidden to drink alcohol. Chewing kola nut can ease hunger pangs. Frequent chewing of the kola nut can also lead to stained teeth. Among the urban youth of West Africa, kola nut is becoming less popular. Outside mainland Africa, some species are cultivated for their nuts in Brazil, Jamaica and elsewhere in the humid tropics. Kola nuts are often used to treat whooping cough and asthma. The caffeine present acts as a bronchodilator, expanding the bronchial air passages. Kola nuts are perhaps best known to Western culture as a flavoring ingredient and one of the sources of caffeine in cola and other similarly flavored beverages.

Scientific nameMoringa oleifera
Common names 
Common nameHorse Raddish Tree
Local names 
FamilyMoringaceae
Description 
Habitat 
Part usedLeaves, seed, bark, roots

SeasonAll year
Active ingredientsPterigospermine
UsesBroad-spectrum medicine for almost 300 ailments including Hypertension, Impotence, Asthma, Cardiovascular disease, all forms of Malaria headaches etc.

Scientific nameTetrapleura tetraptera
Common names 
Common nameAridan
Local namesPrekese
FamilyMimosaceae
DescriptionA deciduous tree 6-30m high, bark smooth
to rather rough, grey or brown, young branchlets
glabrous with petiole leaves.
HabitatIt is found in river rain and secondary forests.
Part usedFruit, bark, leaves, pulp, roots etc.
Season 
Active ingredientsRich in sugars, tannins, coumarin,
scopoletin, aridanin, magnesium, potassium, iron,
phosphorus, Vitamin C etc.
UsesFolklore or Traditional uses: Therapeutically useful in the management of convulsion, leprosy inflammation and rheumatoid pains. It is a spice; treats diabetes, hypertension, arthritis etc.
Orthodox (Use): It has anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemia properties. It controls cholesterol levels.
Controls hypertension Treat Bilharzia Enhances healing of production of breast milk. Enhances healing reproductive wounds. Scent used as perfume. It is used as condiment. Flavor in beverages.

Scientific name:Capsicum Frutescens
Common names 
Common name 
Local names 
FamilySolanaceae
Description 
Habitat 
Part used 
Season 
Active ingredients 
Uses 

Scientific nameOkoubaka aubrevillei
Common names 
Common nameOkoubaka
Local names 
FamilySantalaceae
DescriptionThe okoubaka tree is considered a trophophyte, meaning it is adapted to an environment that alternates between periods of heavy rainfall and droughts. It is deciduous meaning it sheds its leaves seasonally, and monoecious, meaning it contains both male and female reproductive flower parts. It is a tree that can reach 40 meters in height with a trunk that can reach 3 meters in width. The tree forms a large bushy crown and has a straight and cylindrical bole (trunk). Its bark is course and usually reddish-brown. The tree development fits the Mangenot architectural model.
Habitat 
Part usedSeeds, Bark
Season 
Active ingredients 
UsesThe tree is used for various medicinal purposes such as anti-malarial drugs.

Scientific nameMucuna pruriens / Mucuna flagellipes
Common names 
Common name 
Local namesEve (Ewe)
FamilyFabaceae
DescriptionThe plant is an annual climbing shrub with long vines that can reach over 15 metres (50 ft) in length. When the plant is young, it is almost completely covered with fuzzy hairs, but when older, it is almost completely free of hairs. The leaves are tripinnate, ovate, reverse ovate, rhombus-shaped or widely ovate. The sides of the leaves are often heavily grooved, and the tips are pointy. In young M. pruriens plants, both sides of the leaves have hairs. The stems of the leaflets are two to three millimeters long (approximately one tenth of an inch). Additional adjacent leaves are present and are about 5 millimetres (0.2 in) long.
Habitat 
Part usedSeed
Season 
Active ingredientsThe seeds of the plant contain L-DOPA, with trace amounts of serotonin, nicotine, and bufotenine.
UsesThe seeds of Mucuna pruriens have been used for treating many dysfunctions in Tibb-e-Unani (Unani Medicine). It is also used in Ayurvedic medicine. The plant and its extracts have been long used in tribal communities as a toxin antagonist for various snakebites. It has been studied for its effects against bites by Naja spp. (cobra), Echis (Saw scaled viper), Calloselasma (Malayan Pit viper) and Bangarus (Krait). It has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine in an attempt to treat diseases including Parkinson’s disease. It has been investigated in low income regions of the world as an alternative treatment for Parkinson’s disease due to its high content of L-dopa. Mucuna prurien seeds have been recognized for their ability to significantly alleviate neurotoxocity induced by Parkinson’s disease. Dried leaves of M. pruriens are sometimes smoked.