Effect of Standardized Anti-malarial Herbal Tea (Malatreat) on Plasmodium berghei Infection in Mice

Aim: To investigate the curative effect of standardized anti-malarial herbal tea, Trade Name: Malatreat composed of 5 different herbs as follows: Sida acuta 10%, Tridax procumbens 15%, Alstonia boonei 35%, Phyllanthus amarus 25% and Citrus Sinensis 15% on malaria parasitemia in mice.

Study Design: Animals were separated into five groups of four animals each and housed in plastic cages. The animals were inoculated with Plasmodium berghei and treated with the standardized anti-malarial herbal tea, Trade name: Maltreat.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Port Harcourt, between 8th September - 11th October 2017.

Methodology: A total of 20 mice were weighed and divided into five groups, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of 4 mice each and used for this curative investigation. A pure strain of Plasmodium berghei was obtained from Malaria and Phytomedicine Research Centre, University of Port Harcourt. Five mice were inoculated with an isotonic solution of this pure strain Plasmodium berghei infected blood of 68% parasitaemia level and served as stock animals with the infection. All the animals in the various groups were inoculated with 0.5 ml of an isotonic solution composed of 1ml of blood from the stock (an infected animal with parasitaemia level of 75%), and 5ml of buffer and treatment commenced orally on the fourth day after inoculation.

Results: Parasitaemia levels were recorded on the third day after inoculation as follows; 12.06%, 7.95%, 13.62%, 20.1% and 16.05% for groups 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Parasitemia levels had a peak of 15.55%, 20.7%, 25.2% and 21.3% respectively in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 on 7th-day post-treatment. An observed (P= .05) reduction in the parasitaemia levels of the animals in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 occurred 14th-day post-treatment as follows; 10.16%, 9.36%, 11.82%, 7.9% respectively while group 5 had an increase to 68.75 %. Theparasite clearance levels in Groups 1 and two at day 14 post-treatment when compared to that of the standard drugs were highly significant (P= .05).

Conclusion: These results show that the herbal tea Malatreat (in two different doses) has the potential to reduce parasitaemia level in the blood stream of mice and has a parasite clearance level similar to the reference drugs Chloroquine and Coartem used in this study.